


Silver Wings

by Batsutousai



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Mental Torture, Mind Rape, Original Character Death(s), Sorceress Squall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-22
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-05 19:00:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 90,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1828813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batsutousai/pseuds/Batsutousai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On that fateful day, when a child grown visited his childhood home and a dying sorceress passed on her powers, it wasn't another sorceress they found, but a young boy running lost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Water in My Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaim Her:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Square Enix. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 
> 
> **A/N:** Still cursing people.
> 
> Anyway, so, there I was, rereading _FFVIII_ fics – because why not, right? – and I realised I hadn't really found any of the males-as-sorceresses fics that I seem to remember being fairly regular back in... When was I in this fandom last time? 2011?  
>  Whatever. Short story: I was wondering at the lack and my muse cheerfully wondered how canon would be affected if Squall was the one who got Ultimecia's powers at the orphanage, rather than Edea. Which...yeah.  
> I sort of hate this fandom. Just a little.
> 
> This fic has 12 chapters. It'll be updated every three days (rather than my usual once-a-week schedule). If you want to wait until the final chapter is posted to start reading, come back on 25 July. ;)

He was five when they came, the tired man and the woman who looked like death. 

Sis had vanished barely two weeks before. Recent enough that he could still fool himself into think that, if he looked hard enough, he might find her. That, maybe, if he sat on the beach and waited, she'd come back to him. Because she'd always come for him when he sat on the beach. Always. 

He'd almost run into the man, tears in his eyes because Seifer was a _jerk_ and Sis _would so_ come back! 

"Hello, Squall," the man had said, voice quiet and calming, and Squall had back-pedalled and fallen on his behind. 

The man looked down at him, leaning like he was tired. He had a scar between his eyes, Squall would remember later, and a line of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. He hadn't smiled, not like most adults did when they came to the orphanage, but there had been something calming about him. Something safe. 

Someone stumbled behind Squall and he glanced back, only for his eyes to go wide at the sight of the woman standing there, bleeding from all over. There was an air of menace about her, and Squall scurried backwards, towards the man. "She can't hurt you, not here," the man murmured, the words soothing. 

"I...kan't...disappear yet," the woman gasped out. 

"You don't have a _choice_!" the man snarled, voice gone hard and cold. 

Squall glanced up at the man, and felt a rush of terror at his expression. He pulled away from him, trapped between two people who seemed equally terrifying. 

The woman let out a scream, high and horrible, and Squall turned to watch as a black cloud pulled out of her body. It hovered in the air for a moment as the woman faded to nothing, then started towards Squall. 

" _No_!" he thought he heard Matron shouting before the cloud reached him, ugly and terrible. 

It was agony, when it touched him, like that time Seifer dared him to stick his hand in the fireplace, but _everywhere_.

When darkness reached for him, he let it take him, grateful. 

-0-

Squall didn't remember much about his long illness. Flashes of images: Matron sitting over him and crying; her voice saying, "Take care of him," and Squall being carried away from where she was standing on the beach; waking to an unfamiliar room, a strange man with dark eyes and a worried frown; Sis whispering assurances as she replaced a towel on his forehead. 

He actually remembered seeing Sis a few times, but figured, when he could retain such thoughts, that they were illusions. He understood he was sick, that something about that dark cloud had made him ill, and Quisty'd said, once, that sick people saw things that weren't there. 

When he finally woke feeling almost normal, it was the dark-eyed man who sat next to the bed he was in. He was looking towards an opened door that Squall couldn't remember seeing before, as familiar as the strange room had become, where a woman with long red hair stood stiffly. 

"–meet her at Balamb in two months," the woman was saying. "She needs to arrange for alternate transport for the last of the children to Balamb, or we'd be picking her up sooner." 

The man sighed and nodded. "I understand. Send back word with the scout that we'll be there. And, also...th...at..." He trailed off as he looked towards Squall, eyes going wide. "Squall?" 

Squall blinked at him. "Who–" he managed before he couldn't get any more words past his dry throat. 

"Tell her he's awake," the man called over his shoulder as he picked up a glass from a table next to the bed. He smiled down at Squall as the door closed, his eyes kind. "Hello, Squall. Do you think you can drink some of this if I help you sit up?" 

Squall nodded and let himself be helped up just high enough that, when the man held the glass to his mouth and tilted it, the water didn't go everywhere. 

"I'm Beau," the man offered. "Matron gave you to me when you fell sick. Do you remember any of that?" He gently pulled the glass away. 

Squall nodded. "Yeah," he whispered, licking his lips to catch the last couple of drops there. He was...so unbelievably thirsty. "There was a man, and a woman. And the woman...she let out a black cloud?" He looked up at Beau. 

"That's pretty much how Matron explained it," Beau agreed before offering him the glass again. Squall was happy to drink more, bringing heavy hands up to clutch at it. Beau's smile widened. "When you're feeling more like yourself, I'll try to explain what Matron thinks happened. But, for now..." He took the glass away and wiggled it, showing it was empty, then put it back on the table and helped Squall lie back down. "You need to recover your strength so you can be up and walking around when we pick up Matron in two months." 

"Matron's coming?" Squall asked, eyelids heavy. 

"I promise," Beau replied and covered him with a blanket. 

-0-

Sis was there the next time Squall woke, a book held open before her. He stared at her in disbelief for a long moment, finally letting himself believe she hadn't been an illusion, then croaked out, "Sis?" 

Sis's head came up and the most wonderful smile bloomed across her face. "You're awake!" She reached out and pressed a hand to his cheek, real and warm. 

Squall burst into tears, so utterly relieved. Sis was back! 

Sis's book dropped to the floor and she stood in a great rush, eyes wide and panicked. "Squally? Squall, are you okay? What–?"

Squall grabbed her hand when she started to pull away, heavy hands impossibly quick when he needed them, and clung to her. He couldn't seem to find the breath to speak, between his sobs, but that action had apparently been enough, for she settled on the edge of his bed and her other hand came up to comb through his hair, the motion familiar and soothing. 

"I'm sorry, Squall," she whispered. "I'm here now." 

He curled tighter around her hand, around _all_ of her, and let himself drift back into sleep, exhausted from his upset. 

-0-

Sis was still there when he woke up next time, back in the chair next to the bed. She'd traded her book for some string and needles, and was humming a familiar melody as she worked. 

"Sis?" Squall whispered, reaching out a heavy hand towards her. 

Sis put her work down at her feet and quickly got up to sit on the edge of the bed again, soothing one hand through his hair. "Hello again, Squally. I'm sorry I upset you last time." 

Squall shook his head and let his hand clutch at the edge of her dress, wanting to keep her from leaving again. "You...left," he rasped before swallowing against his dry throat. 

"I know," she agreed, expression sad, even as she leaned over and picked up the glass of water that Beau had last time, full again. "Can you drink some of this?" 

"Sitting...up," Squall got out. 

Sis nodded and dislodged Squall's hand so she could shift positions, letting him rest back against her so he could drink from the water she was holding in a steady hand. "Matron was worried that someone was looking for me, so I had to leave. I've been travelling with Beau and the others since, keeping out of sight." She held the water away from a moment, fingers combing through Squall's hair again. "It was lonely, a little, but I'm glad I was here when you got sick." She let him sip at the water again. "Everyone needs a familiar face when they're sick." 

_Even,_ Squall couldn't help but think, _when they think that face is an illusion._ Because it _had_ been nice to see Sis, even if he'd thought she wasn't real. 

She started humming again, setting aside the empty glass, and Squall let himself close his eyes, comforted by the knowledge that she was there and wasn't going to leave him again. 

-0-

Squall regained his strength slowly. Sis was there most times he woke up, and she'd read to him from her book while he tried to force himself to stay awake. When he asked, she told him about the ship – called Alexander – they were living on, how the men and women had been picked from all over to help keep Sis safe, and they called themselves SeeDs. 

Sometimes, Beau was the one who was sitting in the little chair, papers or a novel held in his hands. He would help Squall drink some water and ask how he was feeling. And, when Squall was strong enough to sit up on his own and eat the bread Beau brought, the man finally explained what had happened. 

"What do you know about sorceresses?" Beau asked as Squall nibbled on his bread. 

Squall thought about that for a moment, then shrugged. "There was a film about a sorceress and her knight, right?" he asked. Seifer had really liked that film, and Squall had seen it so many times, he could probably quote it, if he cared enough to try. 

Beau nodded. "Not a great deal, then," he suggested, and laughed when Squall scrunched up his face at him. "Don't take it the wrong way, kid, that's just not a great source for facts." He rubbed at his chin and relaxed back in the chair. "Right. So, the legend goes that, long, long ago, when man rebelled against Hyne, he hid away half of himself to stay alive. People, now, believe that half shows itself as the innate magic of sorceresses. Hyne thought, that by giving his power to women – to the weaker half of humanity – someone would always be there to protect that half of him, for men always protect women. 

"But, something about that magic was unstable, maybe because he split it into so many pieces, maybe because – as the Church of Hyne likes to say – women are unstable. Who knows. But there is madness in that magic, and every sorceress has one person, their knight, who helps keep them stable." 

"Like Sir Zefer," Squall whispered, enthralled. 

Beau nodded, an odd little smile playing across his lips. "Like Sir Zefer was to Sorceress Rayvn, yes. He kept her safe from people who wanted her dead because she was a sorceress, and helped keep her stable." 

Squall frowned. "But, why did they want to kill her?" Because that part had never made sense to him. 

Beau sighed. "People tend to be...very scared of sorceresses. Because they can be unstable, and because they can do things normal people can't, even people who use para-magic." He paused, reading Squall's confusion, and explained, "Almost forty years ago, there was a sorceress who let people study her magic. She wanted everyone to be able to use magic, and what they created is called 'para-magic'. It takes a lot of training to use, though, and it's still far weaker that the magic a sorceress can use, but it's the closest non-sorceresses will ever come to wielding magic." 

Beau shifted, moving his book aside and leaning forward. "The woman you saw was a sorceress. When a sorceress dies, she has to release her magic, because Hyne is eternal, so they find the nearest compatible person and pass on that magic." Beau touched a finger to Squall's chest. "In this case, that person was you." 

"But I'm not a girl!" Squall insisted. 

Beau shook his head. "You're not," he agreed. "But Matron thinks – and I'm inclined to believe her, because she knows more about this than I do – that all you have to do is to need someone protecting you to qualify for the sorceress powers. It'll go to a girl before a boy, but since you and that man were the only ones there, the magic went to you, because he... Matron said he looked more like someone who would protect others, than someone who needed protecting." 

Squall nodded at that, feeling almost...numb. He was...a sorceress? 

Beau touched his cheek, and Squall realised there were tears on his face. "Do you want me to get your sister?" 

Squall nodded because, yes, he really wanted Sis. 

"Okay," Beau whispered before moving away. 

Sis didn't take long to arrive, hurrying over to the bed and sitting down at Squall's side. She drew him into a hug, warm and safe, and Squall let himself cling to her, sobbing at the absolute unfairness of it all. 

"It'll be okay, Squally," she whispered. "Everything will turn out okay." 

Squall tried to believe her, but a part of him, somewhere deep inside, churning with darkness, wouldn't let him. 

-0-

The day they picked up Matron was the first day Squall was allowed to leave the cabin he'd been staying in. 

He'd fallen into something of a funk after Beau told him the truth, and Sis had struggled to pull him out of it. It had been Beau, though, telling him, "You probably don't realise this, Squall, but you've know a sorceress nearly your whole life: Matron is one," that had pulled him out of it. 

Matron was nice, Squall knew, nothing like the woman who had passed her powers on to him. If Matron could be a good sorceress, then so could Squall. And then, yes, everything would be okay, just like Sis said. Because if Squall was a _good_ sorceress, then no one would want to hurt him. Sis wouldn't leave him again. 

When they docked, Sis came to get him and helped him up to the deck of the ship. It was bright, far brighter than his little cabin, and he squinted against the sun and all the people in white uniforms. 

"Ah," Beau said from somewhere in the crowd of white, "here they are." 

The crowd moved slightly and someone dressed in black moved forward. Squall looked up at their face and smiled when he realised who it was. "Matron!" He slipped from Sis's gentle helping hand and stumbled forward, towards the only mother he'd ever known. 

Matron caught him in a hug and picked him up. "Oh, Squall," she whispered into his hair. "It warms my heart to see you looking so much better." She pressed a wet kiss to his cheek and laughed when he made a face and wiped it off. "Hello, Ellone," she offered to Sis. 

"Hi, Matron," Sis replied, her voice closer than Squall had expected. He looked down and found her standing right next to Matron, grinning up at him. "I see who you love the best," she teased. 

Squall blinked at her, then reached one hand down, trying to reach her. "No! I love you best! Promise!" 

Sis laughed and caught his hand. "I'm joking, Squally." 

Beau stepped up to them, a pack slung over one shoulder, and gently touched Matron's shoulder. "If you've got everything, Edea, we need to cast off." 

"Oh, yes," Matron agreed, smiling. "Everything is in that bag. Though, if you could... oh, leave it with Ellone, please? I need her to get something out of it for me. And I can carry it down on my own." 

Beau chuckled and set the bag down next to Sis, who immediately started tugging on the string tying it shut. "I'll leave you to it, then. I'm sure Elle can show you were to go." 

"Yup!" Sis agreed as she got the bag open. "What am I looking for, Matron?" 

"A little blue crystal," Matron told her, shifting her arms around Squall as he tried to get down so he could help. "No, stay here, Squall. It looks a little like an icicle." 

Squall huffed and leaned over so he could at least _see_ what was going on. He didn't have a good view of the inside of Matron's bag, but he saw the moment Sis pulled out the crystal, calling, "Is this it?" 

"It is," Matron agreed, shifting Squall again so she could reach down and take it. 

Squall couldn't help but stare at the crystal, feeling oddly drawn to it. He reached for it when it was within reach, and was too distracted to be surprised when Matron let him have it. It remained in his hand for a moment, glinting in the sun, before it melted into his skin. 

He closed his eyes, shivering at a sudden chill, but unbothered by it. There was another being inside him, cold but kind, and he reached out towards her, curious. 

_'I am Shiva,'_ the presence said, folding around his mental form. _'I have been tasked with keeping you safe, Sorceress.'_

Squall opened his eyes and blinked up at Matron. "Shiva's for...me?" he guessed. 

"She is," Matron agreed. "She's what's known as a Guardian Force. She'll help you keep your magic in check until we can find you a knight." 

Inside him, Squall could feel Shiva's presence settling next to the churning darkness inside him. Ice froze over it, stilling it, and Squall relaxed in Matron's arms, hugging her tight around her neck. " _Thank you_ ," he whispered to her. 

Matron pressed a kiss to the side of his head. "Have you got that?" she asked someone, and Squall looked over to see Sis picking up Matron's bag. 

"Yup!" she declared before starting off towards the passage under deck. "This way!" 

The room Sis led them to already had some of her familiar books next to one of the beds, and as she set Matron's bag down on the other bed, she explained, "Beau was going to give you Squally's room, he said, but instead we get to room together! If that's okay...?" 

"That sounds fine," Matron agreed pleasantly as she finally let Squall down. 

"I can stay with Sis!" Squall complained, walking over to her and letting her hug him. 

Matron shook her head. "What's the rule, Squall?" 

Squall sighed. "No boys in the girls' room after lights out," he dutifully repeated. 

"That's right. So you can't stay with Ellone. But you can visit with her during the day." 

"Okay..." 

Sis tugged on a lock of his hair and grinned when he looked up at her. "Do you wanna have a tour of the ship?" 

"That sounds like a lovely idea," Matron agreed, and they left the room together so Sis could show them around. 

-0-

"The first thing I ever learned about being a sorceress," Matron said the next afternoon, while she and Squall and Sis were sitting on deck, enjoying the sea air, "was that losing my temper was the quickest way for someone to get hurt." 

Squall curled around his knees and peered up at her. "You...hurt someone?" 

Matron offered him a sad smile. "I wasn't much older that you when I received my powers. I'd never had many friends, you know, and some bullies started picking on me, calling me all sorts of names. My mother told me to ignore them, and I tried, but, sometimes, I would get angry, and then one of them would get hurt." She held out a hand to him and ice frosted over her palm. "It was never too terrible, never much more than frostbite, but, then..." She sighed and shook off the ice before gently brushing her fingers through Squall's hair. "I expect you will find your gift to be far more dangerous." 

Squall swallowed and looked away, scared. "I don't wanna be a bad sorceress," he admitted. 

Matron sighed and scooted along the deck to get closer to him, then drew him into a hug. "Then you won't be," she promised before kissing the top of his head. "It's up to _you_ to decide who you'll be, Squall, and _only_ you." She tupped a finger under his chin and tilted her head down, smiling when he peered up at her. "Do you understand?" 

He gave a cautious nod. "I...think so." 

Matron nodded. "Every morning, when you look in the mirror, I want you to tell your reflection that _you_ get to decide who you'll be, okay?" 

Squall nodded again, more determined. "Okay." 

She smiled and kissed his forehead, then leaned back and looked up at the endless sky above them. "Ah... It's nice to get out on the ocean." 

"So it is," Beau agreed as he walked up to them. "Squall, Elle, you two want to see something cool?" 

"Yeah!" Sis called, scrambling to her feet.. 

"Go on," Matron told Squall, giving him a gentle push, so he hurried to his own feet and followed Beau to the ship railing. 

"You're going to need a boost, squirt," Beau teased before helping Squall up so he could look over the railing. Below them, keeping pace in the clear blue water, were two long forms. "They're dolphins," Beau told them over Sis's squeal of glee. 

"Dolphins come from _pirates_ ," Sis told Squall. 

Beau laughed. "That's the story, yeah. That, once, years and years ago, some pirates decided to kidnap a sorceress, so she turned them all into fish." 

The dolphins swam outwards a little, then one of them jumped out of the water, letting out a cackle of laughter. 

Squall jerked back in surprise, against Beau's chest, but Beau and Sis both laughed. When the second dolphin jumped and cackled, Squall laughed too. 

-0-

Squall's days were spent learning to be calm, because only while calm could he truly control his magic. (Not that they knew what his magic was, really, with Shiva helping him to keep it out of the way.) Sometimes, Beau would interrupt them with fish-watching, and Matron never seemed to mind, pushing Squall to go with and relax for a bit. 

In the evenings, after supper, he and Sis and some of the SeeDs would all gather around Matron in Beau's office and she would read to them, painting fanciful tales of far-off lands and such magic that Squall, at least, could only dream of. 

Sometimes, Squall would fall asleep during the story, but he would always wake up in his room. And he'd climb out of bed and walk over to the tiny mirror in his room, and inform himself, "Only _you_ can decide who you're gonna be," in his sternest voice. And his reflection would nod in understanding, then beam when Squall grinned at it, and he'd hurry away to get ready for the day. 

It was probably about two months after Matron joined them, when a smaller ship that bore a passing resemblance to Alexander pulled up next to them. Two men in the same white uniforms as the SeeDs stepped forward and saluted Beau when he came to the railing, then called up, "Permission to bring aboard two children, Captain?" 

Beau glanced over towards where Matron was standing behind Squall and Sis closer to the front – the _bow_ , Squall reminded himself – of the ship. Squall didn't look up in time to see her response, but it must have been okay, because Beau called back, "Bring them aboard, Lieutenant." 

The little ship actually had three SeeDs; one of them had been watching the children out of sight. The younger child was still a baby, and the older one looked to be about Squall's age, with long black hair and a heavy-looking pendant glinting in the sunlight against her chest. "We found them up at Holy Glory Cape," the SeeD with the children told Matron as the other two stepped with Beau towards his cabin. "Their dad was running from someone, Galbadians, he said, and it was clear he wasn't going to make it much further. We offered to take the little ones to safety." 

"You made exactly the right choice," Matron promised, holding out her arms for the baby. 

The SeeD grinned, his weather-worn face easing, and handed the baby over. "That's Simo, and this little lady is Virgie." 

"Simo and Virgie," Matron repeated before tickling the baby's belly and making it squeal happily. She knelt then, so Squall and Sis could see the baby, and offered, "Simo, Virgie–" the girl looked up, a scowl across her face "–this is Squall and Ellone. You four are going to live together from now on." 

"I don't _want_ to," Virgie insisted, her voice tight with what sounded like tears. "I want my _daddy_!" And then she did start crying. 

"Oh, dear," the SeeD said, looking stressed. He knelt down before the girl, but she shoved at him and ran for the other side of the boat. 

Matron called for one of the other SeeDs, none of them really paying any attention, but Squall was already running after the girl, shaking off Sis's hand. He could see where the girl was going, towards the railing that was a little wobbly and they'd been warned away from, and he didn't really think he liked her, but he didn't want her to get _hurt_. " **Stop**!" he shouted, and the darkness inside of him crashed through Shiva's ice. 

The girl froze, one foot on the deck, and wobbled for a moment before she fell over, the metal of her necklace thunking against the boards of the deck with a terrible finality. 

Squall reached her right after. Her eyes were wide and afraid, jerking from side to side, even though no other part of her was moving, and Squall realised _he'd frozen her_.

Before he could start to cry himself, uncertain what to do, Shiva brushed forward, chilling his upset. _'You can fix this, Sorceress,'_ she whispered to him. _'You need only know the cure.'_

"I don't even know what I _did_ ," he whispered back. 

One of the SeeDs, Coy, stepped up and flicked a spell at Virgie. It sparkled against her skin, but didn't do anything. He shot Squall a worried look, then called over his shoulder, "Matron, you never mentioned that para-magic can't affect Sorceress Magic." 

Quiet footsteps sounded on the deck and Squall turned to look up at Matron. "I didn't know," she told Coy before kneeling next to Squall and gently cupping his face. "Do you know what you did?" 

Squall shook his head. "I-I just told her to, to s-stop," he got out, voice shaking. 

Matron smiled. "There's a para-magic spell called Stop," she told him. "It acts a lot like that. Do you think you can cast Esuna?" She waved a hand at someone behind Squall, silently asking them to hold back. 

_'That, too, is a spell,'_ Shiva whispered as she trickled forward some of the churning darkness. 

Squall swallowed and turned back to the wide, panicked eyes. He held a hand out to her and clutched at the darkness Shiva offered. " **Esuna** ," he ordered. 

Blue and magenta light glowed over Virgie and she sat up, staring at him. "What–?" she got out on a gasp. 

Squall pointed a shaky hand towards the wobbly railing and said, "It's dangerous," then turned and hid against Matron, terror choking him, because _what if he'd hurt her_? He hadn't even _meant_ to use magic, but it had come, and she'd looked so _scared_ frozen there and–

"Hush, Squall," Matron soothed, hugging him close and running one hand through his hair. "No harm, child. You did no harm." 

-0-

Strangely, Virgie attached herself to Squall after the incident, following him around and throwing an absolute _fit_ when she found out she couldn't sleep in his room. (Which he managed to keep to himself, even with the baby, because Simo needed constant care and Squall was too little to give it.) Squall had no idea what her deal was, but he learned to like it when she fell asleep on him while he he was being calm with Matron in the afternoons, and the way she would whisper the words of the spells the SeeDs taught him, using para-magic to show him what they looked like and what they'd do before he tried them himself. 

Within a month, they'd determined that his abilities lay in the realm of time and space magic. He could cast some other few spells too – Dispel and Esuna, most noticeably, but he also cast a particularly nasty Bio, which he'd been quick to heal when his opponent hit his knees – and somehow knew they hadn't tested him on _every_ spell, because his magic itched to flex its fingers _properly_.

"It _aches_ ," he told Matron one afternoon, clutching at his chest. Shiva was trying, but his magic had got a taste of freedom, and it wanted _more_. Matron had hugged him and looked towards where Beau was standing not far from them.

Two days later, they were docking at the beach where they'd picked up Matron. "Stay on the ship," she ordered Sis and Squall and Virgie as she and Beau started down the ramp to the beach. "I mean it." 

"We'll be good," Sis promised, and Squall gave a quick nod. Virgie nodded right after him, ever quick to follow his lead, and took a hold of his hand. Squall squeezed her hand back, as uncertain as she was about why they were here. 

Some of the SeeDs sat them down to play a card game, distracting them from the admittedly tempting beach, while a few others stood along the railing and shot para-magic at any monsters thinking getting close might be fun. 

Matron and Beau came back with a man who seemed vaguely familiar to Squall, but it wasn't until Sis jumped to her feet and shouted "Uncle Cid!" that he remembered who he was. 

"Hello again, Elle," Uncle Cid said as he caught her running form in a hug. Squall followed much slower, Virgie just behind him, and he offered a shaky smile when Uncle Cid grinned at him. "And hello to you, too, Squall. You're looking much better than the last time I saw you." 

Squall shrugged; he had no memory of seeing Uncle Cid while he was sick, but the entire time was fuzzy. 

Uncle Cid knelt in front of him and pulled out two crystals very like the one Squall had got Shiva from, one yellow-green, the other deep red. "Edea seems to think you might need these." 

Squall reached out for them, but stopped when Shiva let out a snarl at the red crystal. "What?" he asked her, keeping his voice quiet from everyone around him. 

_'That is Ifrit. He and I are not well-suited to co-habitat.'_

Squall chewed on his tongue for a moment, considering the state of his magic. "We need his help, Shiva," he pointed out, because he knew she couldn't do this alone, and he didn't know how much the yellow-green crystal could help. He couldn't turn down help, not now. _Neither_ of them could. 

_'Fine,'_ she muttered, clearly sulking. _'But I don't like him and he doesn't like me.'_

Squall looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and found Matron smiling down at him. "Trouble?" 

"Shiva doesn't like Ifrit," Squall explained, reaching for the crystals again. 

"Oh dear," Matron murmured before Squall took the crystals. 

The yellow-green crystal crackled against his skin before vanishing, while the red one went up in flames, which drew a horrified sound from Virgie. Squall ignored her to close his eyes and seek out his two new friends. 

The red being was hot in his mind, burning with rage and superiority in a way that Squall was trying to learn to avoid; he could see why Shiva didn't like him. The yellow-green being tickled along his senses, an ancient feeling to him. He had curled close to Squall's mental self, away from where Shiva and Ifrit were staring at each other. _'This will not end well,'_ he said, voice an odd sort of old/young that Squall was too distracted by the brewing storm in his head to think about. 

Squall became aware, slowly, of Shiva and Ifrit hissing words at each other that Matron would have been horrified to hear, and he made a face. "Stop it," he told them. 

_'I don't listen to unproven **children** ,'_ Ifrit snarled, turning his ire on Squall. 

_'You leave the Sorceress alone!'_ Shiva raged, getting between Squall and Ifrit. 

_'I don't join with unproven children!'_ Ifrit returned. _'Especially not unproven children with your icy claws in their head!'_ He motioned towards the churning magic, covered liberally with ice in the back of Squall's mind, and fire flickered along the edges. 

Squall winced at the way his magic pushed greedily forward against the weakened barrier. "Stop it," he ordered, firmer. 

_'I will **not**!'_ Ifrit snarled back. 

"I said **enough**!" Squall shouted, and his magic surged forward, grabbing for the fire GF with violent intent. 

Squall stumbled backward and heard crystal hit the deck, then shatter. He stared down at where the red crystal was strewn across the wood at his feet for a moment before looking up at where the adults and Sis were staring at him, Virgie held fast in Beau's arms. 

He'd killed a GF with his magic. 

Squall felt sick, magic churning too close to the surface, and then he realised the ramp down to the beach was unblocked. He knew he needed to get away, keep from hurting anyone else, so he ran for it, magic boosting his speed so they had no hope of stopping him. 

He stumbled against the sand, voices shouting for him from behind. He didn't stop for them, just kept going as the sand gave way to grass, and then forest. 

He stopped when he couldn't go any further, bare feet in agony and breath coming in great gasps. There was no one nearby, no one who might get hurt, so he curled around himself and stopped holding back, let his magic have its moment so Shiva and the yellow-green GF could get it back under control. 

Around him, the forest lit with an unearthly light, symbols glowing on the ground around him in varying colours. Everything was still for a moment, then light shot up from the symbols, gathering high above him, past the tops of the trees. 

And then the light slammed down to Gaia only a few metres away, exploding outward and ripping into the trees around him with a most terrible sound, like the world dying. 

Squall curled his head down against his chest, covering it with his arms, and waited out the aftermath with fear climbing his throat. When he finally felt it was safe to look up, he found a wide clearing around him, the ground dented beneath the impact site. 

He swallowed against the fear, but it came back with horror mixed in; _what if he did that on Alexander_?

"Oh no," he gasped out on a sob. "Oh _no_. I'm going to hurt everyone. I'm going... I'm–"

He could never be a good sorceress. Not with this power. 

Gentle blue light appeared next to him and a tall woman with blue skin and blonde hair streaked with blue formed. She knelt next to him and pulled him into her arms, her skin cold, and Squall knew who she was: "Shiva..." 

_"What is your mantra,"_ she ordered, her voice sharp and unforgiving, even as her grip on him was gentle. 

"My...what?" he got out through his tears. 

_"Your mantra, Sorceress. What do you tell yourself every morning?"_

Squall shuddered and looked up into the icy eyes, so familiar, for all that he'd never seen them before. "I...I decide who I will be." He swallowed and glanced towards the destruction around them. "But this–"

_" **You** decide,"_ Shiva insisted, voice cracking with ice, _"not your magic. You decide what it will be for. **You** control **it**."_

"I _can't_ ," Squall breathed, because hadn't he just _lost_ control? 

Lightning flared next to them, and Shiva and Squall looked up as a creature formed next to them, wings flaring out and tail shifting in an unfelt breeze. _"But you **have** control, Sorceress,"_ it said in that same young/old voice the new GF had. _"Or did you not hold your magic back until there was no one to hurt?"_

Squall jerked his head and looked back in the direction he thought he'd come from. There were trees at a distance all around him, damaged and ruined, but no sign of the plains he'd remember running over, or of the beach with the ship docked. 

_"There are many kinds of control,"_ the new GF told him, settling gently on the ground in front of him. _"You seek the control to hold your magic in check forever, never to be used, but it is too strong for such, and ever growing besides. You must, instead, learn to use it, to let it free when it wishes, so it cannot demand. You must learn to fight **with** it, not **against** it, or it will break free and destroy everything in its path."_

Squall shivered and pushed closer to Shiva, staring, again, at the horror around him. 

_"We will help where we can,"_ Shiva promised, icy fingers threading through his hair. _"But Quezacotl is right, you cannot keep bottling it up without release. Small things, like spelling the fish as they swim by, will help."_

_"Trust in yourself, Sorceress,"_ the yellow and green GF – Quezacotl, Shiva had called him – said. _"You haven't hurt anyone yet."_

"Okay," Squall whispered, and tried to believe it would be okay. 

_"His guardians will be worried,"_ Quezacotl pointed out before fading away. 

Shiva nodded and easily picked Squall up. He grabbed for her, feeling unsteady, and she tightened her grip. _"You are safe, Sorceress,"_ she promised. 

"I don't know the way," Squall whispered. 

_"I do. Have faith."_

"Okay." He closed his eyes and rested against her cold skin. He felt the change in light quality as they stepped into the left over trees, then again as they stepped out the other side. 

Shiva stopped. _"What do you want?"_

Squall opened his eyes and felt his heart jump into his throat at the sight of the massive dragon sitting calmly in front of them, scales so dark a blue, they were almost black. Far behind it, standing ready, a line of SeeD were watching, Matron's dark head just visible behind them. 

The dragon cocked its head, seeming strangely innocent. _"Was it you who cast that powerful magic?"_ he asked, voice deep, echoing in Squall's head like other GFs' voices did. 

_"It was not I,"_ Shiva returned. _"The Sorceress did."_

The dragon leaned forward slightly, and Squall shrank back against Shiva. _"That spell does not exist,"_ he said before pulling back. _"And yet it does. It called to me, of worthy strength."_ He considered Squall for a moment. _"You do not look worthy."_

"W-worthy for what?" Squall got out around his fear. 

_"To wield my strength."_

_"The Sorceress has no need for strength,"_ Shiva snapped. _"He is strong enough. And you are keeping him from his guardians, besides. Move."_ She reached up with one hand and flicked an icicle at the dragon. 

The dragon blocked it with a shift of his wing, then leaned forward again, closer than before, and Squall swallowed a terrified noise. _"You fear me,"_ he realised after a moment, sounding almost...intrigued. _"I can sense that magic from you, great magic, **terrible** magic, and yet..."_ He pulled back again, head cocked in curiosity. _"Have you no interest in protecting yourself, Sorcerer?"_

"I–" Squall blinked. "Sorcer...er?" 

_"You are male, so you are a Sorcerer,"_ the dragon agreed. _"Is this not the way of the human tongue?"_

"I...guess..." Squall decided. Then he shook his head and looked back up at the dragon, only for his attention to be caught by the approaching line of SeeDs. "Oh no! Shiva, they're going to get _hurt_!"

_"My charge is to you, Sorceress,"_ Shiva insisted. _"As is theirs, I believe; they would not accept my protection if it were to take away from you."_

The dragon glanced back at the SeeDs and they froze, almost scared. He looked back at Squall, then. _"Your magic rises, not for yourself, but for these pathetic others?"_ he asked, and Squall realised that, yes, his the darkest part of his magic was churning against his skin, begging to lash out at that which threatened those he cared about. 

"They're my family," Squall managed. "I have to keep them safe." 

The dragon let out a laugh, terrifying and booming across the plain. _"You are new, little Sorcerer. You hide strength behind weakness, yet step forward when those meant to protect you are themselves in need of protection. I would see the true measure of you."_ He shimmered and faded away to almost nothing. 

A crystal floated down to Squall and Shiva, dark blue marked with the same dark red as the insides of the dragon's wings. Squall stared at it uncertainly for a moment before reaching out and taking hold. It sank easily into his skin, and the dragon formed in his mind, oppressing, but safe. 

_"I am Bahamut, Sorcerer,"_ he said. _"For so long as you do not demand more than I will offer, I shall remain with you."_

Squall breathed out in relief. "Thank you, Bahamut," he whispered. 

"Squall!" Matron shouted, hurrying past the SeeDs who were stepping forward carefully. A couple of them tried to stop her, but she dodged them. 

_"He is unharmed,"_ Shiva promised before her face contorted with a grimace. _"Though, I believe, you will find him over-cold. My apologies."_

"Hyne," Matron gasped as Shiva gently transferred Squall to her hold. "You're _freezing_."

"Edea, that was foolish," Beau said as he stopped next to them, expression one of the deepest disapproval. 

Matron shook her head. "That was Shiva. Give me your coat." 

Squall curled against Matron, only then realising how utterly cold he was. He felt fabric cover him, body-warm, and let his eyes shut. 

"We need to know what happened," Beau murmured, quiet enough that it would keep from waking Squall, had he already fallen asleep. 

"Later," Matron replied, just as quiet. "He's safe, and clearly exhausted. Let's get back out to sea before someone from town or Garden gets curious, now that the dragon is gone." 

Squall finally drifted off into sleep, his magic, for once, calmed under the watchful gazes of three GFs. 

-0-

.


	2. Delusional Sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original character death is in this chapter. I hadn't originally intended to kill her, but I needed something to force Squall from the White SeeD Ship, and this was where my muse went. I am....so unbelievably sorry, you have no idea.

"He's called Bahamut," Squall explained when Beau asked him about the dragon after breakfast. He'd led Squall away to his cabin office, another SeeD distracting Matron from following, and Sis apparently tasked with keeping Virgie busy. "He..." He frowned, realising he wasn't completely certain _why_ the GF had come. 

_'Your spell called to me, from the deepest of slumbers. There is wrongness in it, just as there is power,'_ Bahamut was quick to answer. Which...not really an answer, Squall thought, but... 

"The magic I cast, in the forest. He says it caught his attention," he finished lamely. 

"The explosion?" Beau asked, eyebrows raising. "That was _you_?"

Squall gave a cautious nod. 

"Great Hyne," Beau breathed out, staring at Squall like he was something new. "You– Fuck, kid. The blowback from that spell sent Alexander _rocking_."

Squall slouched in his chair. "I didn't do it on purpose," he mumbled. 

Beau sighed and leaned forward, catching one of Squall's hands. When Squall looked up into those familiar eyes, he found them looking wary, just a bit, and his stomach rolled unpleasantly. "That's what scares me," Beau admitted, voice quiet. "Squall, you were born late enough that you don't have any memories of it, but Adel's reign was...horrible. You know who Adel was?" 

Squall nodded, because he'd heard a bit about her from the other SeeDs, when he'd asked about other sorceresses. She'd sounded terrible, exactly like the sort of person he _didn't_ want to become. 

Beau squeezed his hand. "You are going to remind a lot of people of her," he warned, and Squall flinched. Beau's expression turned apologetic. "I'm not going to kick you off, kid. Even if I thought Matron would let me get away with it, I wouldn't. But, you need to know: You scare people. Some of my SeeDs, even, because we fought Adel, a lot of us. We know what she was capable of, and it doesn't matter, to some of them, that you're a kid. They're scared." 

Squall swallowed and closed his eyes, wanting to reply, ' _I'm_ scared,' but unable to make the words form. 

"Squall," Beau called, and Squall opened his eyes to stare at him, vision wet. "I know. Matron and I, we're going to do what we can, okay? We'll move some SeeDs onto scout ships if we have to; we're going to keep you safe. But you deserve to know what's going down out there, okay? You've got enough on your plate without getting blindsided with someone talking too much out on deck one day." He reached up and gently wiped at Squall's cheeks, catching tears he'd no idea had fallen. "I just need you to promise me one thing, okay?" 

Squall gave a cautious nod. 

"Don't run off again." 

Squall opened his mouth, found his voice had completely abandoned him, and closed it again before shaking his head. 

Beau frowned. "Squall, I can't keep you safe if I can't keep an eye on you. You running off like that–"

"I can't hurt you!" Squall got out in a rush, his voice cracking under the strain. "I have to get away or I'll hurt you!" 

Beau stared at him, eyes gone wide. "Oh," he whispered before he leaned forward and wrapped Squall in a hug. "You don't deserve this, Squall. You don't deserve _any_ of this." He pulled back and brushed away Squall's tears again. "You listen to me, Squall Leonhart: You are a _good kid_. And don't you _ever_ let anyone tell you different." 

Squall nodded, something in his chest easing at the words. 

Beau pressed his lips together tight enough that they paled, then he shook his head. "At least promise you'll always come back. If you have to get away, I need to know you'll be back." 

_"We will ensure he returns to you,"_ Shiva promised as she appeared behind Squall's chair, ice crackling along the back of it when she rested her hand there. 

"Holy _fuck_ ," Beau breathed out, jerking back in his seat. He looked between Squall and Shiva for a moment, then got out, "Did you summon her?" 

Squall shook his head, but it was Shiva who answered, _"We know when the Sorceress needs us."_ Her fingers soothed through Squall's hair, and her voice, when she spoke again, was amused. _"Even when he does not realise it is so."_

"I...had no idea GFs could do that," Beau admitted. 

Shiva let out a quiet laugh. _"We cannot, normally. But there is a twist in his magic, and it gives us this ability."_

Squall glanced up at her, curiosity bubbling up into his chest, past the fear and uncertainty. "Huh? My...magic?" 

Shiva inclined her head. _"This is a gift you give to us, Sorceress, to have a solidness for longer than we are used to in this world."_ She laughed again, deeper this time, and added, _"It is a struggle, to not exploit it. But I have no wish to over-tire you in case needs must."_ She touched his cheek, ice forming against his skin. _"You are our charge, Sorceress."_ She looked back to Beau, gaze hardening. _"Trust we will keep him safe, when you cannot."_

Beau inclined his head. "Yes, ma'am. I leave him in your capable hands." 

She nodded, then faded away, leaving only melting ice and a strange chill in the air to mark her passing. 

Beau offered Squall a helpless smile. "I think you'll be okay. But you know where I am, if you need me. Right?" 

"Yeah," Squall agreed, managing a small smile back. 

"Good. Go find your shadow before she drives Elle insane." 

Squall grimaced at the reminder of Virgie, but still hurried out of the cabin to find her. 

She and Sis were watching the fish, but it was clear her heart wasn't in it until Squall joined them. 

"You're not in trouble, are you?" she pleaded as she hugged him. 

Squall blinked, surprised, then shook his head. "No. I'm okay." He touched her hair, uncertain for a moment, before brushing his fingers through it, just like Matron and Sis and Shiva did for him. She smiled up at him for it, and he smiled back, then nodded toward the side of the boat. "Wanna see something cool?" 

"Yeah!" 

He hopped up on the small stool kept there for him, so he could see over the edge of the railing, and wrapped an arm around her when she joined him, so she didn't fall. "Which fish should I make go faster?" 

"That one!" Virgie called out, pointing, and Squall motioned along her arm. She laughed when the fish sped up, and so did Sis, her smile wide and approving. Squall grinned and let Virgie point out the fish for him to use magic on, easing the churning darkness within him. 

-0-

On Squall's seventh birthday – he'd turned six while he'd been sick, he'd been surprised to find out – Beau gave him a sword. 

"Beau," Matron had said, disapproving. 

"Oh, come on, Matron," he'd replied with a laugh. "He's a boy. Boys _like_ hitting things with swords." 

He hadn't been wrong, really. Squall had wanted to try out one of the SeeDs' swords for a while, watching them practise drills while he and Sis sat with Matron and quieted their minds. (Virgie still ended up asleep on him more often than not, but she did try, most of the time.) 

Now, with his own sword, he talked Matron into moving their quieting time to just before dinner and joined the SeeDs in their drills. Most of them seemed amused, and a few were happy to help him by correcting his stances, but it wasn't hard to tell which SeeDs didn't care for him. He avoided those few and let the others help him, feeling more and more at ease each time he followed them on their drills. 

"It's calming," he admitted to Matron one evening, as he helped her tuck an already sleeping Virgie in. "I just focus on my movements, and everything else goes away. Just like you taught me." 

Matron sighed and looked down at where he was wearing his sword at his hip, never without it because _true_ SeeDs were never unprepared. "I just don't want you to hurt yourself. And, if you take up a weapon, you're going to hurt yourself." 

Squall bit his lip, staring down at his hands for a long moment, before looking up at her and quietly saying, "I'm a sorceress, Matron. Every time someone finds out, I chance getting hurt. I can't..." He took a deep breath, chest aching at the way her eyes were watering. "I need to be able to protect myself, no matter what." 

Matron leaned down and hugged him, over-tight. "I wish..." she whispered, voice breaking. "Oh, Squall." She pulled back and cupped his cheek. "You're growing up too fast for me." 

He clenched his hands into fists. "I'm sorry." 

"It's not your fault, sweetheart," she promised before kissing his forehead. "I wish you would let _us_ protect _you_ a bit, though." 

Squall looked away, torn between shame and the constant fear that settled uneasily in his stomach, unable to forget what his magic had done to a forest. 

Matron sighed. "Let's see you to bed." 

-0-

Four months after Squall turned seven, a scout ship brought them three new kids: All boys, a three-year-old, a five-year-old, and a six-year-old. 

"The older two could have gone to Garden," the SeeD who'd brought them told Matron as the three boys stared distrustfully at Squall, Sis, and Virgie, "but we didn't really want to separate the three, so..." 

"No, this is fine," Matron promised. "We have plenty of room." 

The boys didn't end up rooming with Squall like he'd expected. Instead, a couple of SeeDs bunked up and the boys got the emptied cabin. 

"It's for your safety," Beau told him later, while Matron was helping the new boys settle in. "Until we can be absolutely certain no one will try anything against you, you're keeping your own room." 

Squall squeezed Virgie's hand in his, the girl ever at his side, instead of touching his sword, like he'd wanted. "You're afraid I'll hurt them," he said quietly, because that's what he'd heard one of the SeeDs whispering when he hadn't realised Squall was right behind him. 

Beau shook his head. "You or one of your GFs, sure, that's always a possibility. But really, kid..." He sighed and ruffled Squall's hair. "It's for your protection, too. I don't want anyone attacking you and landing a hit, any more than I want them as frozen as Winter Island for getting too daring. Okay?" 

"Okay," Squall had agreed and tried to remind himself that Beau _wasn't_ the other SeeDs. 

-0-

Apparently, seven kids and a baby was the maximum level of on-board annoyance that the majority of the adults could stand, because when another kid joined them – a four-year-old girl with a love of the word 'no' – the ship docked inside the Centra Crater for the first time. Beau sent out four teams of SeeDs, waited for them all to report back that the area was safe, then kicked the group of children off the ship. 

The three boys and the new girl all ran ahead, laughing, with Sis following behind much slower. Beau held Squall back, though (and, by extension, Virgie), to tell him, "Keep an eye on them, kid. I'm trusting you to keep them safe until one of my SeeDs gets there, if there's trouble. Got it?" 

"Yes, sir!" Squall had barked, imitating the way the SeeDs who had already left on patrol had sounded. 

Beau grinned and ruffled his hair, then tugged gently on one of Virgie's pigtail braids. "Get out of my sight." 

That trip was managed just fine, with no one hurt and no monsters showing up to cause trouble. So Beau started letting them all off the ship every few days, clearly glad for the break. 

It was the third such stop when the five-year-old boy, Vance, tripped down an incline none of them had noticed. Squall and Sis had led the way over, the others close behind, to find Vance screaming and hugging his arm to his chest. 

"I think it's broken," Sis whispered to Squall as she combed her fingers through Vance's hair, trying to quiet him. He had scrapes all along his legs and arms, too, which almost certainly wasn't helping matters. 

Squall bit his lip and looked around, trying to spot one of the SeeD teams, but the incline hid them from view. "Shiva," he whispered and the ice GF immediately formed at his side. "Can you get help?" 

Shiva inclined her head. _"Of course. Don't move him."_ Then she was off, ice trailing behind her along the barren landscape. 

"Can't you _do_ anything?" Ace, the eldest of the brothers, demanded, hugging himself. "You're supposed to be full of super powerful magic, right? That's what I heard." 

Squall shook his head. "I don't have the right _kind_ of magic," he tried explaining, because healing magic was not something he'd been able to manage. 

Ace ran forward and shoved him. " _Fix him_!"

Squall clenched his fists and tried to breathe, needed to keep from shoving Ace back, because Squall couldn't chance hurting him, _wouldn't_ hurt him. "I _can't_ ," he insisted, trying to keep his voice steady. 

"You just don't _want_ to!" Ace shouted. "You think you're better than us, so you _won't_!" His eyes flickered towards Virgie, who was holding Lorena, the younger girl. "I bet–" he started before a wall of ice formed between him and the girls. 

_"That is enough of that thought,"_ Shiva ordered as a couple of SeeDs hurried down the incline and towards Sis and Vance. The one on the left's hands were already glowing with what Squall knew was a Cure spell, and he looked down at his own hands, willing them to do the same. 

_'You simply don't have that sort of magic, Sorcerer,'_ Bahamut remarked drily. _'You were made for destruction, not healing.'_

Squall clenched his hands into fists and spun away from the others to stalk away. He heard feet running behind him and knew who it was without having to look. "Go back, Gee," he ordered his constant shadow. "I need to blow off some steam, and I don't want you getting hurt." 

Virgie's steps faltered, stopped, then slowly turned and she started back towards the others. 

Squall stopped when he couldn't see anyone around him for far enough out, despite the jutting rocks, that he felt safe letting go of the reins on his magic a bit. He stomped on the ground, setting it shaking with a Quake, and cast a series of extremely unsatisfactory Bios against a rock. 

_'This is shameful,'_ Bahamut complained while Quezacotl tried to hush him. _'Cast something for **real** , Sorcerer.'_

"No," Squall muttered, stomping again and throwing a couple more Bios at the innocent rock. "I'm not going to do that again." 

Bahamut huffed in his head and finally settled down under Quezacotl's glare. 

Squall shot off a couple more Bios, then sighed and dropped to the ground. "I'm useless," he complained, rubbing at his face. 

_'You're not,'_ Shiva insisted. _'You did exactly what you should have done: sent for help.'_

_'You're a Sorceress, not a god,'_ Quezacotl added. _'You can't do everything yourself, and no one expects you to be able to.'_

"I just want to be able to help when someone gets hurt," Squall whispered, hugging his knees to his chest. "I don't want to only hurt people." He swallowed against the fear climbing his throat. "I want to be a good sorceress." 

_'You **are** a good Sorceress,'_ Shiva promised. _'Beau trusts you to look after the others and keep them safe.'_

_'And Sis trusted you,'_ Quezacotl was quick to add. _'She knew there was nothing she could do, but she trusted you'd be able to figure it out.'_

Squall could _feel_ the way Quezacotl and Shiva turned their glares on Bahamut, and he couldn't help but smile at the interplay between his three closest companions. 

Bahamut sighed. _'Look, so maybe you can't do everything. But you're not **just** a Sorcerer, you're a child. No one expects you to be able to do everything yourself.'_ He paused for a moment, letting that sink in, then drily added, _'Well, no one except other children. But there's nothing anyone can do about that, Sorcerer, and I suggest you learn to ignore the brat.'_

"I still wish..." Squall whispered. 

_'What do you expect wishes to do?'_ Bahamut demanded. _'They'll only make you miserable because they'll never come true. If you want healing magic so bad, have someone find you some para-magic.'_

Squall straightened, staring at the much-abused rock in disbelief. "Para-magic?" he repeated. It was such a simple solution; why hadn't _he_ thought of it? "Thanks, Bahamut," he breathed as he climbed to his feet. "You're the best." 

Bahamut snorted, but there was a definite feeling of pleasure coming from him as he relaxed back in Squall's mind. 

It didn't take Squall long to find his way back to the ship. Beau was waiting for him, looking somewhere between irritated and relieved, and he opened his mouth to start talking as soon as Squall started up the ramp. 

"I want to learn how to use para-magic," Squall interrupted. 

Beau stared at him for a moment, clearly thrown, then he sighed and shook his head. "Come aboard so we can cast off," he ordered and Squall did so. 

He helped Beau pull the boarding ramp back up and secure it in place, then waited through the captain motioning for whoever was manning the wheel to take them out. 

"This is about what happened to Vance," Beau guessed as he started for his cabin. 

Squall hurried forward a couple steps so he could walk with the man. "Yeah. I don't..." He looked down at his hand and clenched it into a fist. "Ace is right. All this power, and for what? All I can do is hurt people." 

"I'm pretty sure I remember you being able to cast a _couple_ helpful spells," Beau replied as he held open the door to his cabin. Squall slipped in and settled into his usual chair, trying not to pick at his fingers while Beau dropped tiredly into the chair across from him. "Kid, I get where you're coming from, really I do, but learning to use para-magic takes _years_. And Hyne alone knows what will happen if we mix para-magic with the real stuff." 

"I need to at least _try_ ," Squall insisted. "If I _can_ use it, isn't it best I start learning how _now_?"

Beau watched him for a moment before sighing. "All right, Squall," he agreed. "Next time we dock, I'll take you out and see how you handle something benign. Scan, probably. If that goes well, I'll find someone who can teach you to use para-magic." 

Squall felt unspeakably grateful and grinned. "Thanks, Beau." 

Beau waved him toward the door, so Squall left him to find the others. 

-0-

They left the crater the next day, crossing the sea north at an unusual clip. Squall spent two days trying not to think that Beau didn't want him trying para-magic, before they caught up with a scout ship and Vance and Ace were traded over. 

"Too many kids running around my ship," Beau had joked while the two boys said their goodbyes. "Cid is far better suited to this headache than I am." 

The other SeeDs had laughed and happily taken the brothers on-board, promising, "We'll get them to Balamb in one piece, Captain. You have our word." 

They returned to Centra after that, and Squall got to try out some Scan para-magic. 

It worked perfectly. 

"I shouldn't be surprised," Beau commented after he'd let Squall try some elemental spells, as well as a low-level healing spell. "You didn't have any trouble with accepting and managing Shiva, even though most Garden students have trouble with their first GF." 

Squall glanced down at the fading Float that was gently letting him closer and closer to the ground. "It doesn't feel the same," he admitted. "As my magic, I mean. It sits differently, and it's not trying to fight me." 

Beau glanced over at him, curious. "Your magic fights you?" 

Squall nodded and curled forward, around his knees, as the Float dissipated at last. "Yeah. It doesn't like me, I don't think. It's used to being used all the time." 

Beau sighed. "That sorceress you got your powers from must have been a real piece of work." 

"She scared me," Squall whispered, shuddering at the memory of her. 

Beau frowned. "You remember her?" 

Squall shrugged. "Yeah. Kind of hard to forget her." 

"And the man that was with her?" 

"Hard to forget him, either." Squall blinked, remembering something that he hadn't thought important at the time. "Hey. He knew my name." He straightened and looked at Beau. "Do you know who he was?" 

Beau considered that for a moment, then shrugged. "Matron said he was a man out of time." 

"Out of time," Squall repeated, looking down at his hands. He drew on his innate magic, letting his hands sparkle with Haste magic, then let it fade away. 

_'Don't **tease** it that way!'_ Bahamut snapped as Squall's magic snarled. 

Squall winced. "Sorry," he whispered to his GFs as they got his magic back under control. 

"Hm?" Beau glanced over at him. "Did you say something?" 

Squall shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. He glanced towards where he could see Alexander docked in the distance. "Race you back?" 

Beau grunted and got to his own feet. "Oh no, kid. I know how this is going to go. You're going to use Haste on yourself and beat me that way." 

Squall grinned. "I'll cast it on you first. Give you a head start." 

Beau looked suspicious, but gave a cautious nod. 

Squall flicked a Haste at him and let him start out before letting his magic fill his skin, like he'd had a half-dozen Hastes cast on him all at once, their effects stacking. 

His magic almost seemed to _purr_ at the abuse of the normal spell. 

Squall made it back to the ship long before Beau, waving at him cheerfully from the railing as the Captain started up the boarding ramp. 

"You, kid, are a _cheat_ ," Beau declared, expression equal parts disgusted and amused. 

Squall didn't bother denying it, Virgie giggling at his side. 

"Right, teams, spread on out and clear out any nasty beasties. I need a couple hours of peace and quiet." 

The SeeDs all laughed and a number of them gave Squall winks as they walked past. 

Fifteen minutes later, Squall and the other children were free to play chase on land, the stock of Cures a reassuring weight in his mind. 

-0-

Scout ships kept finding them, carrying kids or news. About half the kids – those five or older – were sent to the nearest Garden, while others found room with the main ship. If any of the new kids thought it was odd that Sis, Squall, and Virgie were all old enough to go to Garden, but remained on the ship, they didn't say anything about it. Rather, they flocked to the elder kids, calling them 'Sis Elle' and 'Brother Squall' and 'Sis Gee', listening to them as willingly as they did to Matron and the SeeDs. 

One ship, though, just before Squall's eighth birthday, brought a gift with them: the GF Pandemona. 

Pandemona wasn't a talkative GF, but she got on well with Quezacotl and didn't fight with Shiva or Bahamut, so Squall liked her. She did what she could to keep his magic in check, though it troubled him far less when he took pains to use it regularly, playing with fish for the younger children's amusement, racing unsuspecting people back to the ship for his own, or using his Quake magic to feel vibrations of others moving along the ground. 

In early September, a few weeks after Squall turned eight, the ship was up north, responding to a plea sent by Uncle Cid. Squall didn't know the specifics, but he did know that they'd picked up a couple scout ship crews en route, and most of the SeeDs on the ship had left as soon as they'd found a landing on the northern end of the Bika Snowfield. The children were all expected to remain close to the ship, due to the decreased SeeD staff keeping an eye out, but Squall didn't always keep an eye on how far out they'd gone when they wandered, and Sis and Virgie used most of their attention to keep an eye on the younger kids. 

Squall had been required to fight off a few monsters, but never anything too difficult. Never anything that he couldn't scare away with a Demi or the slightly more powerful Maelstrom, or a little help from one of his smaller GFs. (He tried not to call on Bahamut too often, because the dragon GF was the strongest of the lot, and they'd discovered quickly that it didn't take much for him to drain Squall's energy reserves, while calling on the other three was a mere drop in the bucket. Bahamut didn't seem to mind the lack of physical summoning, insisting he was far more comfortable curled close to Squall's misbehaving magic.) 

It was just another day, tedious as ever, the group not even going particularly far beyond the perimeter that the SeeDs had sketched out. A couple of kids had run ahead, Virgie only keeping up because Squall kept an absent Haste on both her and Sis any time they were off the ship. 

One of the children Sis was watching fell and scraped his knee, so Squall stooped down next to him, Cure making his fingers glow blue, while Sis whispered soothing things in the kid's ear. 

The cut had just healed when a deep roar came from further up the path. Squall stumbled to his feet, hand going towards his sword, though he never really used it out here, and he ordered Sis, "Start heading back towards Alexander." 

"Come on. Quickly," Sis called to the nearby children, and they all huddled close to her as she started back the way they'd come. 

Squall started towards the roar, looking out for Virgie and her group. He'd just crested a rise that he thought they'd gone over earlier, when the roar came again, followed by a ruby dragon shooting up into the air ahead of him. 

The dragon zoomed right past him, eyeing the group of children down below, and Squall felt a flash of terror that had him screaming, " _Bahamut_!"

The dark blue dragon GF appeared in between the group on the ground and the ruby dragon just before the monster let loose a stream of fire. 

The ground shook under Squall's feet and he turned back to see another ruby dragon sitting in front of him. It was larger than the one Bahamut was facing and held something almost familiar in one claw. Squall swallowed and focussed on casting Maelstrom, hopeful it would at least make the ruby dragon think twice about attacking him. He didn't have many offensive spells, beyond the terrible black magic he wouldn't use, trusting his GFs to protect him. But, with Bahamut out, he couldn't call on one of the others; it would exhaust him too quickly. 

The ruby dragon responded to the Maelstrom with a swipe of one claw. Squall stumbled back to avoid it, even as he cast another Maelstrom. 

The second claw swipe caught him, on the shoulder, spinning him towards the ground, agony blooming out from where it had made contact. 

_'You need to fight it for **real**!'_ Shiva shouted in his mind. _'It's going to **kill** you if you don't!'_

Squall looked up at the dragon, watched it open its mouth to shoot a fireball at him, and held up a hand as he reached down into his magic, grabbing for the spells he never let himself even _consider_ using. " **Ultima**!" he heard himself roar before a globe of aqua light left his hand. 

The spell exploded upon hitting the ruby dragon. It looked less damaging than the spell he'd unleashed in the forest over a year before, but it was impressive enough to finish the dragon, leaving its head hanging on by sinews, one shoulder and the upper part of an arm gone. 

The unattached arm had been blown free and dropped to the ground not far from where Squall was still lying. He stared in disbelief for a long moment at the necklace that had fallen free from the headless body the dragon had been holding. Stained with its original owner's blood, the lion's head roared at him above the upside down Cross of Hyne. 

"Gee?" Squall heard himself whisper as he reached out towards the familiar lion. 

There was an odd rushing sound in his ears, and he was barely aware of one of the GFs in his head whispering, _'Oh **shit** ,'_ before he screamed, anger and terror and loss echoing through the cliffs around him. 

His magic responded to his agony, unfettered by his own strong will and the forced calm of the GFs who had just got the hell out of the way, it reached out and destroyed every ruby dragon it could find above ground. It couldn't bring the dead back to life, but it could destroy, it _would_ destroy. It was limitless when given free range, drawing energy from time itself to keep from killing Squall. 

At last, however, Squall ran out of strength, staring listlessly at the broken chain in his hand, the blood of the girl he'd come to think of as his little sister soaking into his hair. 

The ground trembled under the claws of a much friendlier dragon, and Bahamut gently picked him up in claws meant for shredding. Squall closed his eyes and curled his hand against his chest, Virgie's necklace clutched tight in the hand he pressed over his heart. "Why?" he croaked, not even sure what he was asking. 

_"I don't know, Sorcerer,"_ Bahamut replied, voice unusually gentle. _"This suffering, I have no words of wisdom for. I am sorry."_

Squall didn't respond to that, didn't respond to anything, really, even Matron's hand in his hair as she whispered out a terrified, "Squall?" 

He just kept his eyes closed and waited for the darkness of oblivion, wishing for everything to be just a terrible dream. 

-0-

"He can't stay here," Beau said in Squall's dreams. 

"But this is his _home_!" Matron whispered, sounding like she was crying. 

"I know, but they are _terrified_ of him. I can't keep him safe, Edea, not any more. He'll need to go to Balamb. It's the only place he's got, now." 

Matron let out a sob, loud in the darkness. 

"Edea," Beau said, voice quiet and apologetic, "you knew this day would come. He was never meant to stay here." 

Darkness rushed back in before the dream could continue, and Squall sank into it gratefully. 

-0-

"We're almost to Balamb," Sis said in Squall's dreams, her voice catching. "I wish you would wake up, Squally. I wish you could hear me say..." She let out a sob. "Squall, please. You're the only family I have left. Don't leave me all alone..." 

Squall wanted to tell her she was all he had left, too, but it was only a dream, and the creeping darkness was returning, its embrace soothing a pain he didn't want to remember. 

-0-

"His shoulder has healed nicely," an unfamiliar voice said in his dreams. "There's really no reason why he's not waking up." 

"He had a shock," Matron whispered. "A...a very close friend of his died. We...we can't take care of him any more, but Cid says you're the absolute best, and–"

"Edea, it's okay. I promise I'll do everything I can for him. He'll be okay." 

Matron let out a choked sound and someone stroked his hair. "Just get better, Squally," Matron whispered before a kiss was pressed to his forehead, familiar and warm. 

Footsteps receded, and Squall let himself sink back into the darkness. 

He didn't want to wake up. 

-0-

"Just sit over there and _behave_ , Seifer," an unfamiliar voice said, just on the edge of consciousness. 

Squall wanted to turn back towards the darkness of dreams, but something was pulling him through the barrier he'd unknowingly put up between himself and the world, and he couldn't fight it. 

He opened his eyes to a face that was almost familiar, green eyes burning with arrogant curiosity as their owner said, " _You're_ not a student." 

Memories came forward of a childhood on land, before it became too dangerous for him to be with other children. "Seifer?" he whispered. 

Green eyes went wide with shock, then narrowed. "How d'you know my name, kid?" 

Squall blinked, feeling more and more awake. "I–" he started, but was interrupted by the unfamiliar voice from before. 

"Seifer Almasy! I told you to– Oh my goodness! You're awake!" 

Squall looked away from Seifer to find a heavyset woman in a long white coat standing the the doorway of the unfamiliar he'd woken in room. She was smiling at him, clearly relieved, even as she pointed behind her with clear intent for Seifer to leave. 

Squall swallowed past a dry feeling and licked his lips before asking, "Where...am I?" Because this clearly wasn't Alexander. 

The woman stepped in and closed the door on Seifer's curious face. "You're in Garden, child," she soothed as she picked up an empty glass and turned to fill it at a sink in the corner. 

Squall remembered dreams of Beau and Matron and Sis. _'They weren't dreams,'_ Shiva said quietly. 

He'd expected as much. "Balamb?" he asked, just to be sure. 

The woman looked vaguely surprised before she smiled and nodded. "Indeed. Will you let me help you sit up?" 

Squall didn't really need the help, it turned out, his body responding easily to his demands. His magic was unusually calm in the back of his mind, and Quezacotl was the one to explain, _'It understood what you needed and kept you in the darkness. It kept your body from deteriorating.'_

_'You pleased it, when you lost control,'_ Bahamut added, voice muted, sharing in Squall's loss. 

He closed his eyes and turned his head away as the woman helped him lay back down. 

"I know you're tired, but I need to know how much you remember," the woman cautioned. "Edea said you're junctioned, and we couldn't unjunction them like I would have preferred to while you were unconscious. Hyne alone knows what they've done to you while you were asleep." The last was said quietly, as though she didn't intend for Squall to hear. 

Squall frowned, confused by the concern; his GFs were his friends, a part of him. 

_'A sacrifice must be made for our services,'_ Shiva explained. _'From you, we draw energy from your magic; non-Sorceresses must share their memories with us, and we...do not give them back willingly.'_

_'Were you not a Sorceress, your memories would have suffered greatly for your long slumber, with four of us,'_ Quezacotl added. _'But your magic won't let us touch your memories, even if it would be to your benefit.'_

Squall reached up and touched an unfamiliar weight against his chest. As he fingered the edges of it, he realised what it was and his heart ached. "I'm Squall Leonhart," he told the woman waiting behind him. "I've been living with Matron Edea Kramer and Captain Beau Owens on the SeeD ship Alexander. It was meant as a mobile base to keep Sis safe." 

The woman let out a relieved breath. "That's good," she decided. "Do you remember anything else? Anything recent?" 

Squall clutched the lion's head in his fist. "No," he whispered, wishing his words could be true. He was certain that, could his GFs take memories, Virgie's death would have been gone in a heartbeat, if only for his own sanity; the fewer people who knew he was a sorceress, the longer he would stay alive. "My birthday," he added, hoping he could get at least something of an idea of how long he'd been unconscious for. 

She sighed and a hand touched his shoulder. "You've only lost about three months, then," she told him. "You got hurt when Alexander docked, and they brought you to Garden, because you weren't waking up. I don't know when we'll be able to get word to them to let them know you're safe and they can come back to pick you up, but–"

"No," Squall said quietly, opening his eyes to stare at the wall in front of him. "I'm too old for the ship, anyway. If Uncle Cid has room for me, I'll join Garden." 

The woman was quiet for a long moment before letting out a gust of air. "Okay, then. I'll let him know. You get some more rest for now." 

Squall waited until her footsteps had retreated before he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked down at the lion's head in his grip. Someone had fixed the chain for him, likely to ensure he wouldn't lose it while he was unconscious. He found he was...grateful, under the heavy blanket of pain that left him feeling more numb than anything; this necklace was the only thing he had left of Virgie. 

_'Is it not the saying that she is in a better place?'_ Pandemona whispered, her voice a gentle brush of wind against his misery. 

"I hope so," he whispered to his GFs and the necklace. "I hope she's at peace, now." He drew his knees up to his chest and pressed the necklace against the steady ache in his chest, where his heart used to beat. "Gee, I'm so sorry. I should have–"

_'Become strong,'_ Bahamut said, his voice strengthening, as though he understood that Squall needed his strength. _'Learn to use your dark magic, so you don't choke again. You have that strength, learn to use it to save lives.'_

_'Healing magic isn't the only way to keep people alive,'_ Quezacotl agreed. 

"You just have to be faster and stronger than the other guy," Squall whispered. He was already fast; it was time to become strong. 

He looked up, towards the closed door of his borrowed room, and narrowed his eyes at it. "Never again," he swore, clutching his necklace. 

-0-

.


	3. Reach For Your Metal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with Squall in this. Originally, he was going to be a lot colder than he turned out, but then I sort of came to the slow realisation that this isn't canon!Squall, can never _be_ canon!Squall. And I really just need to resign myself to him being OoC. Like always.
> 
> As an advance warning for any confused Americans out there, I kept finding myself using the British numbering conventions for Garden floors, and was too lazy to edit them all over to the American standard, especially since this fic is rife with other Britishisms. So, ground floor equals American 1F, first floor is 2F, and the second floor is 3F. Sorry/not sorry.

Garden's doctor – Kadowaki, he'd found out her name was – forced him to stay overnight in the infirmary, then had a faculty member lead him up to Uncle Cid's office on the second floor. Uncle Cid had smiled upon seeing him, a little forced around the edges, and motioned him to sit as he got rid of the faculty member. He settled back behind his desk, then, and shuffled some papers in front of him. "I'm sure you'd like some time to strengthen up after you were unconscious–"

"No," Squall interrupted, keeping his voice firm and looking up to meet Cid's gaze; it was easy to keep from thinking of this man as his quasi-uncle, with the space he'd put between them, so unlike how Beau had always sat in one of his guest chairs when Squall was in his office, and the thought was somehow both disheartening and reassuring. "I didn't suffer any damage, despite the two months I was unconscious. I would prefer to start attending classes, if you have teachers who will accept me." 

Cid shuffled his papers again, a nervous motion that he couldn't seem to help. "O-of course, Squall. We'll have to do some assessments, see where you are in relation to your peers..." 

"I junction GFs and para-magic without any difficulty," Squall replied, keeping his voice even and dull. "I can read, but I've never been taught to write, and I've been training with the SeeDs in using a sword for the past year." 

Cid blinked at him for a moment, hands stilled over his papers, then coughed. "You can use para-magic?" 

"Yes." 

He seemed almost to relax. "Good. Good, that makes things easier. I wasn't– Well, no matter now." He moved some papers on his desk again, though this time with apparent intent, as he pulled out a sheet and held it up. "Dr Kadowaki won't allow me to hold any assessment tests for you until next week, but you're free to visit the Training Centre and fight the monsters in there, or get some reading done in the library. You won't, officially, be assigned a room and a roommate until you're a student–"

"Uncle Cid," Squall interrupted, stomach churning unpleasantly. When Cid motioned for him to continue, Squall clenched his fists to keep from shifting, then asked, "Do I _have_ to have a roommate?" 

"It's Garden policy, Squall," Cid pointed out gently. 

Squall couldn't help but shift then, one hand reaching up to clutch at his necklace. "I know. But–" he swallowed "–given what I am, it might not be a good idea. No one knows how I'll react if I have a roommate who thinks messing with me while I'm asleep is a good idea, and if they find out what I am and decide to..." he trailed off, wincing at the direction his thoughts were going; just because the danger was real, didn't mean it was easy to say. 

Cid sighed. "I can try to make sure you get someone quiet as a roommate, but you will turn far more heads by having a single room as a cadet, than you will if your roommate gets hurt for trying to play a practical joke on you while you're sleeping. I understand that it makes you nervous, but this isn't Alexander. Do you understand?" 

Squall slumped in his chair. "Yes, sir," he agreed, certain he sounded childish and not sure he cared. 

Cid nodded. "You'll have a week or two in a guest room, first," he promised before standing. "I'll take you down there myself and see if we can't find someone to show you around on the way. As soon as I've got your assessment schedule worked out, I'll have it delivered to your room; no later than this weekend, I promise." 

"Okay," Squall agreed as he got up to follow the man from the office. 

They made a stop down the hall, where Cid pulled out one of the familiar white bags that Squall had seen the SeeDs use when switching between ships or leaving to handle whatever had called them up to Trabia. "Edea gave this to me. It should be all your things," he explained as he handed the bag over, followed by the sword Squall had received for his seventh birthday. 

Squall stopped to buckle on his sword, silently furious at himself for not questioning its lack before, and hefted his bag over one shoulder before following Cid to the lift. 

They had only just reached the bottom of the stairs in front of the lift on the ground floor, when someone ran into Squall. He steadied himself without difficulty, his innate Quake magic making it difficult to upset his balance, but the other person fell on his arse. 

"Cadet Dincht," Cid realised as the fallen person jumped easily to his feet and started dusting himself off. He'd frozen upon hearing Cid's voice, however, and looked up with an expression like a chocobo standing in the way of an oncoming train. There was something familiar about him, Squall realised, even as Cid said, "Excellent timing, actually. "Squall, this is Zell Dincht. Cadet, this is Squall Leonhart; he'll be joining Garden in a couple weeks, and I was looking for someone to show him around." 

Zell grimaced at that, even as he looked Squall over. He grinned after a moment and held out a hand for a shake. "Hey, nice to meet you, man! I'm sure you'll love it here!" 

Squall let Zell shake his hand, the boy who used to tattle on every wrongdoing now practically a ball of energy. "I hope so," Squall agreed quietly, remembering what Shiva and Quezacotl had said about GFs eating normal people's memories. It explained Seifer's reaction, as well as Zell's lack of recognition, even as the space fallen between them made Squall's chest ache. 

Then again, perhaps it was best if he didn't get close to anyone again; if Virgie hadn't attached herself to him, she would have left for Garden long before she could have died in Trabia. 

"A guest dorm first, then I'll leave you to Cadet Dincht," Cid insisted, a hand on Squall's shoulder moving him in the correct direction. 

Zell fell in next to them, a bounce in his step. He was quiet while Cid showed them to the guest hall in the dorms, but once the headmaster had left them to it, he gushed out, "Where are you from, then? Weird time to be coming in, so close to the holiday. I'd have thought you'd wait until at least January before coming out here–"

"My living situation became untenable, so I came to Garden," Squall bit out, finally realising he'd have to interrupt if he was going to be able to answer any of Zell's questions. "Un– The headmaster offered to let me wait until after the holiday, but I would rather be doing work." Squall eyed the way Zell deflated somewhat at his sharp tone, and he tried to ease it to say, "You were going to show me around." 

"Yeah," Zell agreed, obviously forcing himself to perk up. "Hey, d'you mind if we go by the cafeteria first? They should be just about ready to open up, and I bet you can get us some of their special." 

"Fine," Squall agreed, and let himself be led away by Zell. 

-0-

Squall huffed as he took out another grat with a slash of his sword. He'd hope for more of a challenge, but it seemed he'd have to get permission to leave Garden if he wanted to really stretch his limits. Given, grats were hardly one-hit prey, but they weren't much better than the funguar and geezards that sometimes slipped past the SeeD patrols in Centra. The only reason he wasn't using GFs, was because it felt like a cheat. 

_' **Bahamut** is a cheat,'_ Shiva insisted. _'Us normal GFs are simply...'_

"Cheats?" Squall replied drily, rolling his eyes. "Shiva, you could take out a group of these monsters just as easily as Bahamut. I want a _challenge_."

"Do you _always_ talk to yourself?" a familiar voice drawled from behind him. 

Squall spun, sword only kept at his side because he _knew_ that voice. "I'm not talking to myself." 

Seifer snorted and waved a sword around him. "It's just you and me here, kid, and you sure as hell weren't talking to me." 

"You never talk to your GFs?" Squall asked, honestly confused. Given, he didn't know many people who kept GFs, but it made sense to speak with the beings sharing space in your head, especially if they were stealing your memories. 

Seifer laughed. "Seriously? Do you talk to your sword, too?" 

_'This is why I hate humans,'_ Bahamut complained. 

Squall tightened his grip on his sword. "My sword doesn't tend to answer back," he bit out, trying to breathe through the anger making his magic stir. 

Seifer snorted. "Neither do the GFs." 

"Maybe you just don't know how to _listen_."

The blond paused, eyes narrowing towards Squall. "Shut your trap, kid. You don't know me!" 

Squall turned away, heart aching for a childhood that no one else remembered. "And I don't want to," he threw over his shoulder. 

It was Seifer's yell that gave him away, childish and unnecessary. Squall spun back to meet him, blade rising to block the strike aimed at his head. 

A hit that should have been easy to push away, was a struggle to hold back, and Squall stared at Seifer under their locked blades, surprised. His magic, in his mind, had flinched back from the blond, seemed almost uncertain in his presence, and Squall was torn between disbelief that _Seifer_ scared his magic, and relief at the unexpected ease of pressure that had become so familiar over the years. 

"You want a challenge, kid?" Seifer bit out, pushing forward against their blades. "I'll give you a challenge you'll never forget." 

"If you really think you _can_ ," Squall heard himself replying. 

Seifer grinned, green eyes lighting, and pulled away. "Sparring rules is no junctions, no magic," the blond ordered as he widened his stance. 

"Got it," Squall agreed; it suited him fine, since his magic was apparently refusing to cooperate with him when faced with the blond, and he'd never bothered trying to figure out how to strengthen himself with para-magic spells, not with his innate magic doing a far better job. 

Seifer moved, then, quick for someone claiming to be unjunctioned, and Squall grit his teeth as he moved forward to meet him. 

Fighting with Seifer was...different. He wasn't trained the exact same way as Squall's SeeD instructors, had never fought in a war or been tasked with the safety of someone else. It was clear, to Squall, that he wasn't used to fighting much more than grats and other students while under the watchful eyes of teachers. 

Despite all that, it was the first time Squall had ever fought without access to his magic. He couldn't let time magic fill him and get him out of the way just in time, or use his earth-based magic to stand his ground and know where any obstructions were. It was...terrifying and heady, all at once, and he found himself grinning around grit teeth each time Seifer's sword connected with his. 

_'Sorceress!'_ Quezacotl and Shiva shouted in warning, just before a roar echoed through the Training Centre, coming from directly behind him. 

Seifer pulled away, eyes going wide as he caught sight of whatever was behind Squall, and he reached out to pull Squall forward, getting him out of the way of the t-rexaur's chomp attack. "We need to get out of here," Seifer gasped out. 

Squall shook his head, his magic filling him again at the danger. He held out his hand and intoned, " **Ultima**."

Like the ruby dragon months ago, the t-rexaur was swallowed by the aqua globe that ripped out of Squall's hand. He turned and tugged Seifer down towards the ground as the spell hit, the Auto-Protect Bahamut granted him keeping them from getting hurt by the debris that rained down after the spell exploded. 

"Holy shit," Seifer breathed after everything had settled, peering past Squall at the devastation. 

Squall turned to look himself, grimacing at the massive hole in the centre of the t-rexaur's body, separating its head from its lower half. Plenty of surrounding trees had taken damage, but it was nothing like the devastation wrought by the spell that had called Bahamut to him. 

"What the fuck was that spell?" Seifer demanded as they both stood. 

"Ultima," Squall murmured, touching his necklace as he stared at the devastation. "It's one of the forbidden spells." 

Ultima and Meteor and that other spell; Squall had spent a day in the library, searching for answers about the horrible magic that was a part of him. 

Seifer's hand wrapped around his arm and he shook Squall until he turned to look. "You're not allowed to have that magic in Garden," he hissed. 

Squall had expected that when he realised what his magic was, so he just shrugged now and said, "Don't tell anyone." 

Seifer's eyes gleamed and he tightened his grip on Squall's arm. "Give me some." 

Squall blinked. "Give–" Oh. Para-magic. Squall shook his head, grasping for the rules the SeeDs had beat into him when they'd first started teaching him about magic. "What's the strongest spell you've ever cast?" 

Seifer frowned and drew his hand away. "I can cast the basics," he muttered, and it was clear he knew where Squall was going with this. 

Squall nodded. "When you can cast a Flare successfully nine times out of ten, ask me again. Until then, keep your mouth shut, or you're not getting anything." Because he knew the Seifer of his childhood _lived_ to break the rules, and promising a chance to do so in future seemed like a good way to keep it from getting back to anyone that Squall had the ability to cast forbidden magic. (It was likely Cid already had an idea, if anyone had realised what he'd used on the ruby dragon, but Squall knew the headmaster would never spread it around, just as he would never penalise Squall for being what he was.) 

Seifer considered him for a long moment before sticking a hand out. "I'm Seifer Almasy." 

Squall blinked, thrown, then accepted the offered hand. "Squall Leonhart. I'm starting in a couple weeks." 

Seifer smirked. "Good." He tapped his blade against where Squall was holding his at his side. "You may be a magic guru, Leonhart, but you'll never best me with swords." 

Squall snorted. "I'm pretty sure _neither_ of us won that fight." 

"Next time," Seifer promised with a sharp smile, "I will." Then he turned and started away. "See you around!" 

-0-

Squall's assessments went about how he'd expected. He was at the bottom of the barrel when it came to writing, and would end up having those classes with the youngest children in Garden, which would likely find him the butt of many a joke, but he'd already resigned himself to it. (Because reading and writing were tied together in Garden curriculum, he'd be getting a child's refresher for the skill he already possessed, but there was no helping it.) 

His understanding of the SeeD mandate, the politics of the world, diplomacy skills, and other such necessary knowledge was all over the place, but, then, that tended to be the case for most students who'd come to Garden after the official start age of five. Because he'd been living with SeeDs on a mobile boat, he was better off than most orphans dropped off at odd times during the year by the Alexander's scout ships, which was an honest relief. 

Even though he'd taken pains to downplay his magic skills, he still ended up topping the highest student's scores in that area. Cid said they were going to put him in the advanced class, just to fill a slot in his timetable, and in case he actually had any questions pertaining to magic, he had someone to ask. Though it was clear the headmaster expected Squall would end up dropping the course when the new year started in April. 

With his GFs sitting on his magic during his combat assessment, keeping it from boosting his natural abilities any, his combat skills were declared at about the right level for his age, and he was shuffled into classes with his peers. (He'd probably have scored higher, Cid told him, if he'd learned hand-to-hand combat and how to manage a gun while living on the Alexander, to which Squall had drily replied, "Do you have any idea how hard it was getting Matron to let me learn the sword? Can you imagine her response if someone had suggested I be trained in other fighting styles or weapons?" which had won him a knowing grimace from the headmaster.) 

He did get some flack for his shoddy writing skills – especially from Seifer, who he ended up sitting next to and usually ended up sparring with in their combat class – but most people shut up when it got around that he could cast a Flare spell without sweating. 

Honestly, Squall refused to let anyone else's thoughts on his abilities bother him, instead focussing his energy on bettering where he was lacking. Which left him with very little time to expel his magic, but it had settled into an unusually calm hum in the back of his mind. The only reason he wasn't more worried about it, was that he knew his GFs were keeping an especially close eye on it, as disturbed by the changed behaviour as he was. 

Squall heard nothing about the Alexander until the end of March, after term ended and most of the students had vacated for the two weeks at home. He was sitting in the cafeteria, scowling as he worked on an essay he'd received an extension on, due to his lack of writing skills, while Seifer sat at the next table over and made occasional mocking noises, ignoring the disapproving looks the handful of other students kept shooting him. 

"Squall?" Cid called as he approached Squall's table. 

Squall glanced up and looked towards the headmaster, cocking his head in curiosity. "Sir?" 

Cid offered him a strained smile. "You have some guests." 

Squall blinked. "Guests?" he repeated, even as he shoved his papers together and grabbed for his bag. 

"Your sister and Captain Owens," Cid agreed. 

Squall jerked around to stare at his quasi-uncle, stomach churning. "Are they _insane_?" he hissed as he jumped out of his seat, bag swinging at his side, and hurried for the entrance. 

"Squall!" Cid complained after him. 

Squall didn't have to look very hard for Sis and Beau, as they were both waiting for him by the map at the bottom of the stairs to the lift. Beau saw him first, offering a helpless shrug, which apparently warned Sis who was approaching. 

"Squally!" she called as she turned, grinning wide and delighted. She hurried forward and he caught her in a tight hug when they met up, his bag thudding heavily to the ground at his feet. 

Everything Squall had wanted to say, every pointed question he'd had about her safety, completely vanished from his mind, replaced with a well of homesickness and a sharp stab of reminder for someone who was gone. He tightened his grip on her and hid his face between her breasts, shoulders shaking with the sobs that he thought he'd numbed himself to after his fit in Trabia. 

"Oh, Squall..." Sis whispered, curling around him as much as she could. 

A warm hand soothed over his back. "It's okay, kid," Beau murmured, gentle and comforting in a way that part of Squall had needed Cid to be when he'd been forced to Garden four months before. 

It took Squall an embarrassing length of time to pull himself back together, but he did finally manage to tug away from Sis and rub at the tear tracks on his face. "Sorry," he mumbled. 

"It's okay," Sis promised, gently touching his chin so he'd look up and using her handkerchief to wipe his face. He'd seen her do the same thing a hundred time for the little kids when they hurt themselves or got homesick, and he made a face at her for doing it to him. She smiled in response and said, "It's my job to clean off the faces of _all_ my little siblings, _especially_ my favourite one." 

"I'm touched," Squall deadpanned, winning a laugh from her. 

"Squall," Beau interrupted, his use of Squall's name suggesting he wasn't going to like whatever the captain said next, "do you remember what happened?" 

Sis's hand paused in the act of pulling away from Squall's cleaned face, her expression a complicated mix of disapproval and upset and a sort of broken hope, like she knew what Squall's answer was going to be and she _hated_ it. 

Squall looked up and met the familiar dark gaze evenly, hand coming up to wrap around his necklace. "You mean do I remember destroying the ruby dragon that killed Gee?" he replied quietly. 

Someone who sounded a lot like Cid let out a helpless moan behind him, while Beau closed his eyes in regret. 

Sis's hand carded through Squall's hair and he closed his own eyes. "Yeah," he admitted, "I remember that." 

"Do you understand why I needed to get you off Alexander?" Beau asked, and there was a well of pain in that question, like he'd hated that he'd had no choice but to just leave Squall and run. 

Squall swallowed and glanced over at Sis's watery eyes, then up at Beau's regretful gaze. "I... Actually, I remember you explaining it to Matron, while I was..." 

"Asleep?" Beau offered helplessly. 

Squall shrugged and looked down at his feet, past where his fist was tight around his necklace. "If you like," he agreed before glancing over at Sis. "I– You're...my only family too, Sis. I'm sorry I couldn't wake up, I just..." 

She pulled him into another hug, hold hard. "I know," she whispered. "It's okay, Squally. I don't blame you." 

"Squall," Beau called, and Squall drew away from Sis again to meet the captain's eyes. Beau settled a heavy hand on his shoulder and said, "I need you to listen to me, kid. What happened in Trabia? That was a shit situation, and you handled it better than half my SeeDs would have. You kept Elle and the kids safe and you got out alive, and in the end, that's what matters. That's what you take away from that." 

Squall bit his cheek hard enough to hurt, then asked, "How many?" Because that had been bothering him, when he let himself remember that Virgie hadn't gone ahead on her own. "How many died?" 

"I don't think–" Cid started. 

"Four, counting Gee," Beau told him, ignoring Cid. "But you _saved_ twenty-seven." 

Squall blinked and opened his mouth to argue, because there had only been eleven kids that left Alexander that afternoon, including him, Sis, and Virgie. "But–"

Beau pushed a finger against the middle of Squall's chest, in the same spot he always touched when he talked about his magic. "You. Saved. Twenty-seven. People." 

Squall stared at him, remembering the way his magic had raged, seeking to destroy every other ruby dragon it could find, looking to keep any such from hurting him again. "Oh," he whispered. 

Beau smiled at him, then, and squeezed his shoulder. "You did good, kid. You scared the fuck out of a lot of people, but you did good." 

Squall took a deep breath and gave himself a moment to hold that number against the ache of Virgie's death. It didn't fix anything, not by a long shot, but it eased the pain, just a little. 

"Where's Matron?" he asked after a moment, looking between Sis and Beau. 

Sis winced. "We picked up a newborn a couple days ago. She's attached herself to Matron and...screams...if anyone else tries to hold her." 

Squall winced himself. "Oh no." He'd never had to help take care of the super little ones, but he'd been woken enough times by one of them in the middle of the night to guess how much fun life was on Alexander right then. "Well, let me just withdraw, in advance, any requests to come aboard for...at least two years." 

Sis laughed, but Beau shook his head grimly. "You can't come back on the ship at all, Squall." 

Squall's breath caught, heart thudding painfully against his chest, but he'd honestly expected something like this. "Yeah," he managed, voice cracking. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, that would be pushing too many people a little too far, wouldn't it?" 

Beau reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "We'll renegotiate once you've made SeeD." 

Squall forced a smile. "Spin around the crater for my graduation present?" 

Beau managed his own forced smile in return. "Maybe I'll lend you a scout ship." 

Sis stepped between them then, expression determined. "I demand a tour," she informed them both before turning to Squall and catching the hand that wasn't still wrapped around his necklace. "Come on. I've wanted to see this place since we heard the construction was complete, and _you_ are going to show me around." 

"Bag!" Squall called back as he let Sis tug him in the general direction of the library. 

Beau laughed as he leaned down to grab it. "I think we'll manage fine on our own, sir." 

"Yes, yes," Cid agreed tiredly. "Stop by my office before you leave!" 

"This is the library," Squall told Sis as he pushed her past the turn-off. "Which you can visit after the tour is done, because, otherwise, that'll be the only room you see." 

Beau laughed behind them. "That's the absolute truth." 

Sis huffed at them both, but let herself be led on. 

-0-

Squall didn't see anyone from the Alexander again until his birthday. He'd been eating breakfast by himself, like always, when someone had stopped next to his table. He'd glanced up, half expecting it to be Seifer, because he apparently thought it was fun to pester Squall every other morning or so, especially during the holidays, but it was Beau instead, and he straightened. "Did something happen?" 

Beau shook his head, lips twitching. "You're with me today, kid. Get your stuff." 

Squall pointed a finger at the captain, even as his free hand shoved the book he'd been studying into his bag. "You never write, but you show up out of the blue and kidnap me in the middle of holidays. Isn't there some sort of authority figure I'm supposed to report you to?" 

"What are they teaching you in this place? How to be an asshole to your superior officer?" Beau complained good-naturedly as he picked up Squall's tray. 

"No, I learned that one from you." 

Beau snorted and pushed Squall towards the entrance to the cafeteria as soon as he was standing. "Get walking, Cadet. I've only got permission to steal you for the day, and I am not dealing with your sister if I don't uphold my promise to break you out." 

"Sis is here?" Squall asked, torn between pleasure and concern. 

"She and Matron are in Balamb." Beau ruffled his hair. "Happy birthday, kid." 

Squall relaxed at learning the reason for the visit. Even if he wasn't sure it was a good idea for Sis to be in the town. 

Beau drove him into town and led him down to the docks, where Matron and Sis were waiting for them on a scout ship. There were two SeeDs with them, clearly of the few who weren't inclined to throw Squall to the wolves, judging by the grins they shot him as Sis gave up on waiting and dashed down the boarding ramp for a hug. 

They went down to Fisherman's Horizon, it being the least dangerous place in all of Gaia, and got lunch there before touring the sleepy city. 

"I thought it might be nice to get you out of Garden for a while," Sis told Squall while they were sitting on the train tracks and staring down at the fish Squall was absently casting spells on; his magic had reared its head again as soon as they left the island, and screwing with the fish was the only real safe way he had of helping his GFs keep it in check. "You know, bring back the old times a bit." 

"As much as any of us can," Squall agreed quietly before leaning sideways and pressing his head against her arm. "Thanks, Sis. I did miss this, a bit. Seeing the world from the ocean." 

Sis sighed. "I wish I didn't have to be on the ship all the time." 

"You'd rather be stuck in a Garden, then?" Squall teased. 

Sis huffed and shoved him. "Don't start with me. You're the worst little brother ever!" 

Squall laughed and leaned his head against her again, relaxing when she combed her fingers through his hair. 

"Squall! Elle!" Beau called not long after. He was waving for them to come along from further down the tracks, Matron at his side. "We're heading back!" 

Squall groaned and climbed to his feet, then helped Sis up. "Next year, let's take the whole weekend and go fishing," he suggested. 

Sis laughed. "Isn't that a bit of a cheat? The way you control fish, I mean." 

Squall flashed her a smile that he hoped looked like a really bad attempt at appearing innocent. "I would never." 

"Come on, you two," Matron said as they reached the adults. "Squall's present is on the ship." 

"You mean breaking me from Garden and dragging me to FH wasn't my present?" 

"Hm, he makes an excellent point," Beau agreed. "We'll just have to save the gift for a sail-by drop-off next year." 

"Stop it," Matron ordered, but she was smiling. 

Back on the scout ship, the two SeeDs turned them back towards Balamb while Matron pulled out a cake and Beau brought over a long box wrapped in what looked like flat sheets from one of the Alexander's beds. "It's not light," he warned as he offered it to Squall. 

"Matron saw it in Deling when we stopped by last month," Sis explained as Squall hoisted the box into his lap and tried to find the end of the sheet. 

"Why were you in Deling?" Squall asked, curious. 

Matron laughed and motioned to the cake she was cutting pieces from. "I lacked some necessary ingredients." 

Squall ducked his head, embarrassed and pleased. "You didn't have to." 

Matron sighed and left the cake to Beau so she could walk over and crouch down next to where Squall was sitting. "No," she agreed, "but I wanted to." She brushed at his hair, as though trying to get it out of his face. "I'm used to seeing you every day, sweetheart. You're going to have to get used to me trying to compress an entire year's worth of attention into one one or two days." 

Squall hugged her at that, biting his bottom lip to keep from crying. "I miss you too, Matron," he whispered. 

Matron pulled back and cupped his cheek. "I know." She wiped a thumb under his eye, where he'd lost the battle against a single tear, then kissed his forehead and stood. "Now, open that while I go save the cake from Captain Owens." 

"Which of us here _actually_ knows how to use a blade?" Beau complained. 

Squall finally got the sheet loose and carefully unwrapped the box. There was a familiar symbol on the front, and he touched the roaring lion's head with shaking fingers as his vision filled with tears. 

Sis was right there, fingers combing through his hair, and he took strength from her silence and opened the case. 

_'A gunblade,'_ Bahamut murmured, resettling against Squall's churning magic. _'Just the sort of overly-difficult weapon you would excel at, with your magically-enhanced reflexes. Assuming you're facing anyone but that arrogant ass you always get stuck with.'_

"Shut up, Bahamut," Squall muttered as he touched the lion painted on the side of the blade, near the handle. There was some sort of sealant keeping it from getting damaged, and Squall glanced down to find the cleaning and resealing solution packed in a small impression built into the case near the tip of the blade. 

"Is it okay?" Matron asked, stepping over with two plates of cake. 

" 'Is it okay'?" Beau muttered as he made for the two SeeDs who were managing the helm with cake for them; Squall suspected Matron had bought the gunblade for the lion's head, and only later wondered if Squall would actually be able to use the weapon. "Let the kid give it a swing before you go around asking him if he likes it!" 

Matron sighed. " _After_ cake," she insisted, holding out the two plates. 

The cake was wonderful, and far better than anything they served at the Garden cafeteria, no matter what Zell said about their hot dogs. 

"You'll just have to take the rest back with you and share it with your friends," Matron said as she packed it carefully back up, ignoring Beau's hopeful puppy eyes. "Now, why don't you try out that weapon." 

"Gunblade," Squall and Beau corrected at the same time, much to Sis's amusement, judging by the way she started giggling. 

"Oh dear," Matron said with a sigh. 

He pulled out the gunblade with care, giving himself a moment to find its balance, in spite of the uneven movements of the ship. (He spared a brief wonder for how many of his classmates could move with a _familiar_ weapon on a moving boat, and tried not to smirk upon deciding there wouldn't be many of them.) 

It was a good blade, he realised, looking down the length of it as he resettled his grip. Heavier than he was used to, with the gun mechanism, but it was balanced well, and it felt...comfortable in his hold. 

He checked the positions of everyone on the deck, then moved easily through the first sword kata he'd learned. 

"It's _perfect_ ," he decided once he was done, tilting the blade and touching the lion figure. 

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?" Matron asked as she moved forward. 

Beau snorted. "He really isn't." He caught Squall's eyes when he glanced up. "It looks good." 

Squall looked back down at his new weapon, then to his old sword hanging at his side, and sighed. "This sheath is not going to work," he complained. 

Beau chuckled and glanced towards the front of the ship, where they could just see the gleam of Balamb Town against the backdrop of the Gaulg Mountain Range. "The weapon shop in Balamb should have something. We'll stop there before heading back up to Garden." 

When they docked, Squall stopped for hugs with Sis and Matron while Beau moved down the boarding ramp ahead of him, carrying the new gunblade's case and the cake Matron had insisted Squall take (he didn't have the heart to tell her he didn't really have any friends to share it with). 

"We'll try and visit for the winter holiday," Matron told him. "If we can't make it, we'll definitely be here in the spring." 

Squall smiled at her. "I'll keep an eye out, then." 

Matron kissed his forehead, then waved him down towards the waiting captain. 

The weapon's shop did indeed have a sheath for the gunblade, as well as the weapon's name: Revolver. 

"Leave it to Edea to not bother remembering the name of the gift she bought," Beau joked as he drove them out of town. 

Squall shook his head, amused. "I'm surprised she got a weapon at all," he admitted. 

Beau snorted. "You and me both. I almost asked if she had a fever when she told me what it was." He let out a sigh, humour draining away. "Then I saw the cover and realised why she got it. You gonna be okay, kid?" 

Squall stared down at the new weapon in his lap, fingers tracing over the chambers. "Yeah," he decided. 

"It's always going to hurt," Beau offered. 

Squall sighed and looked up towards Garden, touching the necklace hanging heavy against his chest. "I'm discovering that." 

Beau reached over and gave his shoulder a quick squeeze before he returned his hand to the gear stick and shifted them down as they turned onto the road down into the car park. 

They hadn't quite reached the central walkway of the hub when a voice called, "Leonhart!" 

"Right," Squall realised, turning towards where he could see Seifer stalking out of the Training Centre, Raijin not far behind. "Forgot about that." 

"About what?" Beau asked, watching Seifer approach with a narrowed gaze. 

Seifer slowed as he saw Squall's companion, his furious expression turning to something more cautious. "Leonhart," he offered carefully as he came to a stop a couple paces away, Raijin stopping at a distance behind him. "Skipping out on spars is not cool." 

Squall rolled his eyes. "And you'd know all about cool, wouldn't you?" he retorted and one side of Seifer's mouth curled up in a silent smirk. "Beau, this is Seifer Almasy, my sparring partner. Seifer, Captain Beau Owens of the SeeD ship Alexander." 

Seifer's eyes widened as he looked Beau over. "You've got some high up friends, Squally," he commented in a manner that was trying to be unimpressed. 

"Seifer Almasy," Beau repeated. "Why is that name familiar?" 

"Ask Matron," Squall suggested as he reached out for his things. "Speaking of, you should head back to town. I hardly need you shadowing me to my dorm." 

"Matron would never forgive me if I let you drop her cake," Beau joked as he handed everything over. 

"I promise not to tell her if I do." 

Beau chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Take care of yourself, kid." 

Squall gave a firm nod. "Take care of Sis for me." 

"You got it." Beau snapped off a SeeD salute with a wink, then turned and started back towards the car park. 

Squall looked up at Seifer and found him giving the front of Revolver's case a strange look. "Something on your mind, Almasy?" he bit out, unable to help the hostile tone. He knew how Seifer was, and the last thing Squall wanted to deal with today was him deciding to pick on Squall's attachment to lions. 

Seifer's gaze jerked up and stopped on the cake box. "Why do you have a _cake_ , Leonhart?" 

Squall blinked, thrown by the unexpected subject change, and honestly answered, "It's my birthday." 

Seifer raised both eyebrows at him. "Damn, Leonhart. Not a bad setup you got there: a ride out of here for the day and a mom to make you cake." 

"Matron isn't my mother," Squall corrected, looking at the cake box for a moment, then past Seifer's considering glance towards where Raijin was waiting. His own roommate was home for the holiday, and there was no way he could surround a cake by himself. He'd figured he would give a piece to Cid and then just eat as much of the rest as he could before it got gross, but he'd watched Raijin in the cafeteria often enough to know that he would be happy to make a dent in the cake, and he and Seifer could easily finish the rest. "Hey, Nakai!" 

Raijin looked uncertain for a moment before ambling forward, expression curious. "Leonhart." He blinked. "Is that a gunblade?" 

"What?!" Seifer complained, stalking forward and to one side so he could get a look at where Revolver hung against Squall's arse. "Oh, fuck you, Leonhart," he bit out. "I've been saving up for a gunblade for months." 

Squall shrugged. "I didn't ask for it." He lifted the cake box carefully. "If you two want any cake, I'm heading for the dorms." So saying, he turned and started that way. 

Seifer fell in next to him before he'd gone five steps, scowling for all he was worth. "Cake does not make up for missing our spar," he warned. 

"I got kidnapped by a ranking officer. Cut me some slack." 

"I'm not sure I'm inclined to be that fair." 

Squall cut the blond a glance. "Seifer, if you're going to be jealous about the gunblade, just be jealous about the gunblade." 

"You hated the revolver-style anyway, ya know," Raijin helpfully pointed out. 

Seifer pointed at Squall. "There you go. Why would I be jealous of your new weapon when I didn't even like it?" 

"I don't make a habit of trying to figure out what you're thinking," Squall retorted, even though he actually, sort of, way too often...did. 

Seifer snorted, apparently deciding that didn't deserve a response. 

The three of them managed to surround the last of the cake – save a piece Squall set aside for Cid, ignoring Seifer's crack about him having a girlfriend – with only a limited amount of abuse thrown back and forth. Raijin asked to see Revolver and Squall was happy to show his gunblade off, ignoring Seifer's huffing the whole while. 

Raijin and Seifer left shortly before lights out, and Squall snuck out after them and made his way to the back staircase that led up to the staff and guest rooms. Cid had pointed out his own room back when he'd shown Squall to a guest room, and he knocked on the door now, last slice of cake held uncertainly at his side. 

Cid opened the door after a moment, blinking in surprise at his visitor. "Squall?" he asked. 

Squall nodded and held up the plastic-covered cake. "Matron made cake and made me bring it back. I thought you'd appreciate a slice." 

Cid smiled then, understanding. "Thank you, Squall," he offered as he took the cake and set it off to the side somewhere just inside the room. "Did you have fun?" 

"Yeah," Squall decided, before recalling, "Matron said she's going to try to come by for the winter holiday." 

"I had heard something along those lines from the last scout to pass through," Cid admitted. "With any luck, no emergencies will arise that require Alexander to make extended land-fall or keep them from travelling." 

Squall, having lived on the ship in question, knew it wasn't uncommon for something to spook a sentry and have them hiding in the Centra Crater for months on end. "I hope not," he admitted. 

"I'll let you know if it sounds like they won't be coming," Cid promised. "For now, bed." 

"Yes, sir," Squall returned, turning away. 

"And, Squall?" 

"Sir?" 

"Happy birthday." 

Squall offered a smile over his shoulder. "Thanks, Uncle Cid." Then he left for the stairs back down and his room. 

He didn't realise that his magic had calmed back down until he was already in bed and dozing off; as much as he missed Sis and Matron and living on the sea, there was something fantastic about being able to relax his hold on his magic. 

-0-

.


	4. Carry This Burden Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Bats realises she's written herself into a period of multiple years where nothing interesting is going to happen. Ugh.
> 
> Of note, Squall starts thinking of Ellone as 'Elle' this chapter, instead of 'Sis', though he does still refer to her by the latter. (Honestly, your author kept catching herself starting to type 'Elle' a couple chapters from now and came back and tossed the name change in here, given the time skip.)

Squall didn't realise Quistis had joined Garden until the winter holidays. To be fair, he didn't share any of his classes with her – she had tested into the top classes for all of the theoretical subjects, and was a beginner with both magic and combat – and had learned to avoid the cafeteria during peak times, to lessen the chances of anyone but Zell trying to sit with him (the martial artist was determined to make a friend out of Squall, which may or may not have had anything to do with his inexplicable ability to always walk away from the food lines with a hot dog, and Squall had decided it was too much effort to be outright hostile). Instead, he spent time in the library when the cafeteria was crowded, working on assignments in relative quiet. 

He probably would have continued being unaware of her, except he'd let Seifer taunt him into an early-morning sparring session, then got dragged to the cafeteria at completely the wrong end of lunch for his preferences. He didn't complain, though, because Fujin and Raijin had both gone home for the holiday, so he knew Seifer was lonely. And when Seifer was lonely, he became about twelve times more obnoxious than usual, and the best way to keep him from doing things like leaving a box of howling puppies outside Squall's door was just to give in to his demands for Squall's time as soon as he showed up. 

Anyway. 

Squall ended up in the cafeteria at exactly the wrong – or maybe it was the right, considering – time, and he let himself be dragged down to sit with Seifer, so he was in the prime spot to hear a someone very firmly say, "My answer is still 'no'." 

A male – an older boy, who had failed the SeeD exam at the end of last year, Squall recognised upon glancing back – laughed and leaned a little further forward, towards someone with long blonde hair. 

Whatever he said to her must have been pretty horrible, for she jumped to her feet and smacked him across the face. "Get _away_ from me, Matagne!" she snapped, her voice ringing a couple bells in Squall's head. 

"How _dare_ you smack me, you little–" Matagne started, stepping forward, towards the girl. As she stepped back, Squall recognised her profile and felt his eyes widen. 

"Oiy, Matagne," Seifer called lazily, and Squall closed his eyes against the inevitable confrontation, "why don't you stop picking on girls and find someone who's not afraid to fight back?" 

"What, like _you_ , Almasy?" the elder boy called back, and Squall's magic, spreading out across the floor to make sure he knew where everyone was, in case things turned nasty – which they usually did, with Seifer – kept track of him as he stepped closer. "You know, that glorified gun of yours doesn't make you a good fighter, and _everyone_ in Garden knows you can't cast magic worth shit." 

"But _I_ can," Squall interrupted before Seifer could do anything stupid, turning in his seat to look back at where Matagne had frozen, halfway between Quistis and the table Seifer and Squall were sitting at. "Are you done?" 

The older boy very visibly backed off, holding up his hands as if to ward off whatever spell Squall might throw at him. "Yeah, Leonhart. I'm done." 

Squall nodded and turned back to the last of his cafeteria pie, further relaxing when he felt Matagne walking away from both his table, and Quistis's. 

Seifer let out an angry snarl. "What the fuck, Leonhart? I don't need your protection." 

"And _I_ don't need _yours_ ," Quistis snapped as she stopped at the end of the table, towering over them. 

Seifer sneered up at her. "Cool your non-existent tits, Trepe; I wouldn't protect you if you _paid_ me." 

Squall sighed and stood. "I'm going to the library, if you're going to be like this," he informed his sparring partner before nodding to Quistis and stepping around her. 

Twenty minutes later, Quistis was sliding into the empty seat across from him at Squall's usual library table, a pile of books in her arms. She glared at him when he glanced up at her, and he responded with a shrug before returning to his work. 

It honestly didn't surprise him when she started sitting with him in the library every meal time, once classes started back up, though she avoided him and Zell in the cafeteria. 

-0-

Over the next four years, Squall fell into a pattern: Zell chattered at him during meals (unless he went home for the holidays), Quistis sat silently with him in the library, and Seifer dragged him to the Training Centre or out onto the plains to spar at least three times a week (once a day on holidays). During at least two of the three holidays each year, Squall would find Beau standing next to him during breakfast, a wry smile on his face as he told Squall he was kidnapping him for the day, and he'd get a day away from Garden with Matron and Elle, sailing the inner ocean in a scout ship and stopping at FH or – if they were feeling daring – Dollet. 

It was...not a bad life, considering what he was. 

Matron had reintroduced herself to Seifer at one point, when he'd 'just happened' to be on the Balamb docks when they got back, and while Squall knew he'd tried his damnedest to hold on to the memories he'd uncovered of her, he'd forgotten again within two months. Squall had been angry on Seifer's behalf, even as his chest ached with the knowledge that he was the only one, of his three almost-friends, who would remember them if they were to part for any real length of time. He wished there was something he could do, but every fact he could find said there wasn't. Not if his friends continued junctioning, which they weren't really given a choice about while attending Garden. 

The spring that Squall was fourteen, Quistis took and passed her SeeD exam. 

"You could easily pass next year," Quistis told him the next afternoon, voice quiet in deference to the stern librarian who, while she seemed to like Squall and Quistis, derived a disturbing sort of pleasure from kicking people out of her domain for talking 'too loud'. "Everyone knows you're a magic master, and you and Almasy are in a class of your own, when it comes to combat." Which had everything to do with the fact that they sparred without junctions or Squall's magic, so they were twice as deadly against anyone that wasn't each other. 

Squall shook his head, absently spinning the lion ring he'd found on his bed one evening a couple years ago. (He had no idea where it had come from, but he also hadn't gone hunting for the information. He was sure that his roommate had been involved in putting it in his bedroom, and so would know who it had come from, but he hadn't asked at the time, and knew the boy would have forgotten by now.) "I'd rather get another few years in," he murmured. "There's no rush." 

Quistis huffed and shook her head. "I don't get you sometimes, Squall." 

Squall just let out a near-silent hum and turned back to his book; he couldn't very well explain that his magic had got to the point that he had to nearly exhaust it the day before Beau showed up to take him out for the day, or he and his GFs couldn't keep it under control. He needed another GF, had done so for a little over a year, but he hadn't heard anything about any new ones, and he didn't really want to ask Beau or Cid, determined to manage himself. 

Still, this was Quistis, and he caught the sleeve of her new SeeD uniform as she started past him to leave. "If you find any GFs, let me know?" 

Quistis shrugged. "Sure." 

-0-

"I'm going to take the exam this year," Seifer declared some time in the middle of June, while the two of them walked towards the dorms after a spar. 

"You need to work on your magic," Squall informed him drily, because while Seifer could cast a Firaga without fail and wasn't too horrible with lightning or cure magic, he _still_ couldn't manage ice spells worth shit, and he had a lot of trouble with support magic. 

Seifer snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Not all of us can be magic gurus. You're taking it, right?" 

"No." 

Seifer stopped walking, and Squall slowed to a stop a few paces ahead before glancing back at him, raising one eyebrow in inquiry. "What the hell do you mean, 'No'? Fuck, you probably could have passed two months ago and shown Trepe up, if there wasn't that fucking age requirement." 

Squall sighed. "Just because you _can_ do something doesn't, necessarily, mean you _should_ , Seifer." He turned back towards the dorms and started moving again, tossing over his shoulder, "Anyway, I like Garden." 

Seifer grumbled something behind him, too quiet for Squall to hear, then jogged to catch up. "Come on, Leonhart. If you're a SeeD, you can sail the seas all the time!" 

Squall felt his shoulders tense and he shook his head; becoming SeeD might mean Beau trusted him enough to watch his own back for a couple of days aboard Alexander, but there was no way he'd be allowed to join her crew. "No," he replied quietly, "I can't." 

Seifer drew in a breath like he was going to say something to that, but then he was silent for a long moment, until Squall glanced over at him curiously. "Well, maybe _I'll_ sail the seas, then. And you'll totally owe me for keeping your sister safe." 

Squall tried to envision Seifer on Alexander, dressed in the white SeeD uniform and standing at the helm, pointing at something with his gunblade in that ridiculously haughty way of his. It startled a laugh out of him. 

"...I can't decide if I'm insulted that you're laughing at my plan, or if I need to start watching for the apocalypse because you actually _laughed_."

Squall bit his cheek to keep from laughing again and shot Seifer an unimpressed stare. "I do, actually, know how to laugh, Seifer. The mechanics are fairly standard." 

Seifer rolled his eyes as they stopped outside the door to the room he shared with Raijin. "Ah, and there's the Leonhart we all know and hate." 

Squall snorted. "Anyway, you haven't been on a boat since you were a kid. What makes you think you'd even be able to stomach it?" 

Seifer gave him one of those looks he saved for when Squall let it slip that he knew more about the blond than Seifer himself did. "Leonhart, if I can stomach your lack of humour, I can stomach _anything_."

"Whatever," Squall tossed back before continuing down the hall to his own room. 

-0-

Quistis returned from her first mission in early November, looking a little ragged around the edges. She found him in the library during the busy hour of dinner and fell gracelessly into her usual chair across from him. 

Squall took a moment to consider her, then said, "You should probably go to bed before Kadowaki spots you." 

Quistis smiled a bit helplessly. "I came from her," she insisted. 

Squall nodded. "Of course you did." 

Quistis shook her head and leaned forward against the table. Her shoulders tightened for a moment before giving up the battle and letting her slump comfortably against the sturdy wood. "Realised I've no idea what GFs you have," she said, words slurring just a little as she rested her head in the crook of one elbow. 

"Shiva, Quezacotl, Pandemona, and Bahamut," he recited as he started putting his things away. 

Quistis blinked at that. "You haven't been to the Fire Cavern?" 

Squall grimaced. "Ifrit and I...don't get on. I'm too much like Shiva." 

Quistis huffed. "Is that why you won't take the exam? You don't want to junction Ifrit?" 

"Headmaster Cid was there the first time I tried; he knows better than to ask it of either of us again." Squall picked up his bag as he stood. "Let's get you to bed, Quisty." 

Quistis shook her head and shoved herself into a sitting position, slipping a hand into one pocket. She pulled out two unfamiliar crystals and put them on the table. "I didn't have much use for Brothers, and I got Leviathan from another SeeD who said he couldn't make him do anything. I didn't even bother trying with him." She gave a huge yawn, jaw cracking, and shook herself. "I'm happy with Ifrit." 

"Someone has to be," Squall murmured as he reached out and took hold of the dark purple crystal she'd called Brothers, first, letting it sink into his palm. 

His magic rumbled pleasantly in the back of his head as two new presences joined him, joined together by a thin strand of energy. They had a solid feeling to them, very steady on their feet, and Squall raised his eyebrows when he realised they had their base in the earth element; no wonder his magic liked them. He had to assume Quistis hadn't liked them because they would be useless against any opponents using float, or any monsters what could fly. Which would actually make most SeeDs pass them over, too used to thinking of GFs as tools, rather than creatures deserving of respect. 

The other crystal was blue streaked with aqua, reminding him of his days at sea. When he let it vanish into his palm, he heard a splash inside his head and a new being rumbled in discontent. 

_'Desist, Leviathan,'_ Shiva ordered, standing firm against what was clearly a GF strong in water. _'You are freed, here.'_

_'I remain **trapped**!'_ Leviathan raged, and Squall felt like his head was filling with water. _'I want the **sea**!'_

"I'll take you to the sea," Squall whispered, holding his head and trying to keep it steady. "Next time I go out, you can swim the day away. I promise." 

Leviathan settled at that, the water draining away. _'How long?'_

"One month," Squall promised, deciding he could probably wheedle Cid into letting him take one of the SeeD boats out for the day if the Alexander got stuck somewhere. 

_'I will hold you to that, Sorceress,'_ Leviathan warned before settling back against Squall's magic, his bulk easily blocking the parts of the ever-growing magic that the Brothers weren't able to hold back. 

When Squall opened his eyes, he found Quistis holding his shoulders, eyes wide with exhaustion and concern. "Squall?" she whispered when he looked at her. 

He shook his head, still feeling strangely waterlogged, like the time he'd almost drowned at the orphanage, playing in the water and getting caught by what he now knew had been a rip current. One of the older orphans had been the one to save him, catching him under the arms and swimming along the beach a ways until they could return to shore. Matron had been frantic. 

"I'm fine," he told Quistis, blinking away the unexpected memory. "Leviathan is...difficult. But we've reached an accord." 

Quistis slumped in relief, and Squall grabbed for her, supporting her by her elbows. "Bed," he ordered. 

Quistis nodded and reached for her bag, only to almost fall over. Squall steadied her and grabbed it instead, then helped her from the library and towards the dorms. She had to point out her new single, and he ended up having to take her ID from fumbling fingers and run it for her, but they made it inside in the end. 

"Get some sleep, Quisty," Squall murmured as he pulled the blankets up over her. He left her bag next to the door, then left her to return to his own room, where he could hopefully get some more work done before he made his own way to bed. 

-0-

Beau did, indeed, come in December, and Squall had barely managed to wait until they were out of harbour before he let Leviathan form in the water. The water dragon had clearly enjoyed himself, keeping pace with the scout ship and snacking on fish while those on the ship watched him and caught up. 

Letting him out was almost as effective as having Leviathan sit in his head the entire trip outside of Garden, in terms of keeping his magic under control, and Squall almost hit himself when he remembered what Shiva had told him about his GFs using his magic to keep solid form. If he hadn't been so dumb, he could have just summoned Bahamut or a couple of others for the trip and keep his magic under control that way. 

_'It hardly matters now,'_ Bahamut said, amused. _'You never leave, beyond sailing with your family, and Leviathan can serve as a drain now. He certainly enjoyed it.'_

_'There is freedom in you, Sorceress,'_ Leviathan agreed. _'For so long as you grant me the gift of swimming the sea, I shall lend you whatever of my strengths that I might.'_

"Thank you," Squall replied, honestly grateful for the promise, because he didn't want to force Leviathan to remain with him, but it was painfully clear that he needed the GF to help manage his magic outside Garden. 

-0-

In true Seifer fashion, it wasn't his inability to cast any ice or support magic that had him failing the SeeD exam, but his inability to work with other people. 

"They were _idiots_ ," he muttered for what was probably the twenty-fifth or so time since the assessments had been given to everyone who'd failed three days ago. (Not that Squall had been keeping track or anything.) 

Squall had decided to just ignore him, beyond a noncommittal hum, while Fujin and Raijin had apparently hit their limit on the first day, if the speed with which they'd climbed aboard the transit to Balamb Town had been anything to go by. Zell, likewise, had fled home for the two-week holiday, and Quistis was out on assignment again, which meant it was just Squall and Seifer. And Seifer's bitching. 

"The directions they gave us were stupid. And what sort of _moron_ puts a _wom_ –"

"Don't make me tell Fujin you're being misogynistic again," Squall warned, admittedly fond of the way the small albino responded to anyone – Seifer included – looking down on someone for their gender. The fact that she wouldn't back down from anyone was impressive; the fact that she'd ended up in the infirmary with a broken arm and shattered collarbone for her daring was not. (Though, the boy who'd attacked her had ended up in the bed next to her, looking twice as bad, before the end of the day was out, and Seifer and Raijin had borne their punishment for attacking a fellow cadet with pride.) 

Seifer huffed. "You're not even listening to me." 

Squall rolled his eyes, then glanced up when he felt a familiar tread through his Quake magic. "Good," he murmured as he closed his book and shoved it into his bag. 

Seifer glanced over his shoulder, then let out a whine when he saw Beau striding towards them. "Even _you're_ abandoning me, Squally?" 

"I'm really not," Squall promised as Beau reached them. 

"Hey, kid," the captain greeted. "I've come to break you out of here for some fresh air." 

"Both of us," Squall insisted as he stood. "Seifer's coming too." 

"What?" Seifer said, looking up at Squall in confusion. 

"I don't have permission to take Seifer off the island," Beau reminded Squall, because being the leader of SeeD's mobile fleet did not, in fact, give him blanket permission to run off with random cadets for the day. Even when the unofficial guardian of those cadets lived on his ship. 

Squall pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over to the captain, then reached down to pull Seifer to his feet. "Come on. I want to see how well you manage a day on a boat." 

"I feel like I should be more concerned about the fact that you got Cid to sign off on this, but I'm really not," Beau decided as he slipped away the paper with Cid's written permission for the captain to take Seifer out on a scout ship for the day. It had been a lot less loosely worded than the permission the headmaster had given for Squall, but, then, the Alexander's crew wasn't really Seifer's family, as they were Squall's. 

Squall shrugged, tugging Seifer along with them as they made for the cafeteria entrance. "I've been bribing him with birthday cake for the past seven years. At this point, he'd probably let me take over Garden for the day, if I asked him." 

" _That's_ why you always save out a piece!" Seifer realised, having made a point to always be around to help Squall eat the cakes he brought back with him. He'd make a crack about the leftover piece each time, but he'd never once asked who it was for. He wrapped an arm around Squall's shoulders, neither of them faltering in their steps at the change in position, and said, "Your deviousness is inspiring." 

Squall sighed. "I don't know why everyone seems to think I'm devious." 

Beau snorted. "Get in the car, kid." 

Squall let Seifer have the front seat, giving himself the chance to stretch out across the back seat and mentally prepare himself for the day away from Garden's calming presence on his magic. Beau, used to the way Squall always went disturbingly still and silent while they were in the car, kept Seifer distracted. 

When they got out at the docks, a man in a ratty sea captain's coat was scowling at the two SeeDs blocking him from the ship, and Squall and Beau sighed in tandem. 

"On the boat, you two," Beau ordered before stepping forward to join his SeeDs, back straightening as he went. 

"Come on." Squall led the way around the brewing confrontation and up the boarding ramp to where Matron was awaiting them. 

"Hello, Squall," she said, pulling him into a hug. When he stepped back, she managed a fond smile for Seifer, though it was clearly strained by the confrontation on shore. "Hello again, Seifer." 

Seifer considered her, memories flickering behind green eyes. After a moment, recognition gleamed through and he shot Squall that familiar 'you always know more about me than I do' look before stepping forward into the hug Matron offered him. "Hi, Matron," he murmured, arms wrapping tight around her. 

"Goodness," Matron complained good-naturedly, "you need to stop growing, Seifer." She glanced over at Squall, who was the same height as her and still growing. "You too, Squall." 

"I'll keep an eye out for shrinking magic," Squall replied, deadpan, and Matron laughed, while Seifer rolled his eyes. "Is Sis hiding?" 

"She's below," Matron agreed. "Is Seifer coming along?" 

"I decided he needed some sea air," Squall said by way of response as he made his way toward the steering cabin and the hatch that led down to the hold under the deck. 

"Don't bring her up until we're under way!" Matron called after him, and Squall waved his understanding as he tugged the hatch open. 

Elle was lying in a gently swaying hammock, eyes closed and a book resting on her stomach. Squall gave himself a moment to watch her sleep, the part of him that seemed to be ever searching for her quieting for the moment. 

When he sensed feet on the boarding ramp, though, he stepped forward and gently shook her shoulder. "Sis?" 

Brown eyes blinked sleepily open and stared at him without understanding for a beat before they lit with pleasure. "Squall!" she called, turning in the hammock and letting her book fall to the ground. "Oh...bother..." she complained as the hammock refused to free her. 

Squall laughed. "If you can sit up, I can lift you out." 

Elle smiled and shook her head, even as she shifted so Squall could pick her up enough to free her from the hammock. "Perhaps not the best place to take a nap," she admitted. 

Squall shook his head and drew her in for a hug as soon as she was on the ground. She wasted no time in hugging him back, hands tight against the small of his back. 

The hatch opened again at the other end of the hold. "Squall?" Beau called down. 

"Yeah?" 

"I don't feel like shouting a conversation; get up here. Elle, as long as you stay in the cabin, you should be fine." 

Squall gave Elle a boost at the hatch, while Beau tugged her up, easing her passage up the ladder, and Squall scrambled up after her. Beau kicked the hatch shut, then pinned Squall with a tiredly amused look. "The sea dragon disturbs the locals." 

In Squall's head, Leviathan cackled. 

"I'm pretty sure that was his intention," Squall replied with a shrug, already resigned to his newest GF's sense of humour, after four months of him making comments in regards to Squall's daily life. "I'll wait until we're out of sight of Balamb to let him loose, but I can't control him once he's in the water." 

"That's all I ask." Beau squeezed his shoulders and motioned for the SeeDs to start them away from the docks. "Are you sure Seifer coming along is a good plan?" 

"Seifer's here?" Elle piped up, shading her eyes against the sunlight outside the cabin. 

"He failed the exam," Squall admitted with a grimace. "He needed out of Garden, both because it can't be helping, and because someone will probably try putting him out of their misery if he doesn't stop complaining." 

"That means no tricks with the fish," Beau pointed out. "Unless you _want_ to chance him catching on." 

Squall shook his head. "I haven't given myself away to him yet, have I?" 

Beau sighed and squeezed his shoulder. "You haven't," he agreed quietly. "You'll have to forgive me my concern." 

Squall shook his head and rested his own hand on the hand Beau hadn't removed from his shoulder. "I don't. I understand why. And I'm...grateful." He grimaced. "Most of the time." 

Beau chuckled and drew away, turning to look back towards the retreating town behind them. "You should be fine to take Elle out. And let out the dragon." 

Squall gave a sharp salute and followed Elle out towards where Seifer and Matron were standing at the prow. Seifer was staring ahead, squinting against the rush of wind and clutching at the railing, as though he wasn't sure of his balance on the moving deck. "Hi, Seifer!" Elle called as she got in range to be heard over the wind. 

Seifer glanced back, startled. "You're Squally's sister?" he asked, having never actually had occasion to meet her. 

Elle's smile dimmed slightly, but she nodded and held out a hand for a handshake. "I'm Ellone." 

"Finally, a name," Seifer joked as he shook her hand. "I was beginning to think you were called 'Sis'." 

Squall snorted as he easily balanced against the railing and leaned forward, out over the water. "Leviathan," he called, loosening his firm grip on the GF, who had wanted to come out closer to the town. 

Leviathan formed next to the ship, long nose coming up to nudge against Squall's forehead while Seifer let out a shocked sound behind him. _"You lack all sense of humour, Sor–"_

"Stay next to the scout ship," Squall interrupted, pinning the GF with a hard stare. "I don't need the townspeople refusing to let us dock there because you're an ass." 

Leviathan sank slightly, his head and ear frills lowering in shame. _"You take so much fun out of my life,"_ he complained. 

Squall reached down and stroked along Leviathan's nose, just barely within his reach. "I'll ask Beau if we can swing by Dollet. You can torment them." 

"Squall," Matron said, disapproving, even while Leviathan seemed to perk up. 

Squall straightened and was surprised to find Seifer standing next to him, knuckles white against the railing. "This is Leviathan, a Guardian Force," he offered. "Leviathan, you know Seifer." 

Leviathan raised himself in the water again, so he was on height with Seifer's wide eyes. _"Indeed I do. He scorns us, as most do."_ He turned away. 

"It's not _scorn_ ," Squall muttered, rolling his eyes. 

Seifer turned disbelieving eyes on him. "You actually _do_ talk to them," he realised. 

Squall shifted, uncomfortable at the reminder of all the times Seifer had caught him talking to his GFs. 

Elle leaned over the railing on Squall's other side, holding her hand out for Leviathan, who swam back over obediently. "Squall's always had an unusual relationship with his GFs. When he first got Shiva, I kept being uncertain if he was talking to me, or her." 

"But, they don't _talk_ ," Seifer insisted. 

"No, you just don't _listen_ ," Squall shot back, the argument familiar. 

"Boys," Matron interrupted, disapproving. 

Squall bit his tongue and looked away, out past Leviathan, towards the Galbadian continent. "I'm going to ask if we can swing by Dollet," he decided, pushing away from the railing. 

"Squall," Matron warned. 

He escaped before she could tell him off for bowing to his GF's nasty sense of humour. 

-0-

"A little birdie seems to think you're wasting your potential," Beau commented as he came over to where Squall was sitting curled around the railing, watching Leviathan tormenting some Galbadian battle cruisers in the distance. 

Squall looked back towards the cabin, where one of the SeeDs was showing Seifer the ship's controls. "You agree with him, that I should just take the exam." 

Beau hummed. "I think there's about half the story that he's missing, and probably about three important details you're trying to keep from Edea and myself," he commented and Squall winced. Beau ruffled his hair. "I think you could do a lot of good as a SeeD, and if you weren't trapped by Garden's class schedule and our missions, we'd probably see a lot more of each other." 

Squall sighed and explained, "My magic's calmer at Garden. It's harder to control away from Balamb, and my GFs can only help so far." 

Beau sat down next to him, leaning through the holes in the railing the same way Squall was and looking out towards the ships in the distance. "We can find you more GFs, if you think that would help." Squall shrugged. "And I expect it'll be more inclined to behave if you actually _used_ it when you were away from Garden; don't think I haven't noticed the way you always mess with the fish." 

"What's to say I'll even get a mission that I _can_ use my magic on?" Squall complained, rubbing at his chest. "It's all time and space magic." 

"And forbidden," Beau reminded him. 

Squall snorted. "Right. If we ever need someone to start a war, I'm a one-man bomb." 

Beau squeezed his shoulder. "You've got a year, kid. I'll tell my people to keep their eyes peeled for GFs." He pushed Squall until he glanced over, taking in the tired smile on the familiar, weather-worn face. "Waiting until you're nineteen is not going to make this any easier, Squall," Beau pointed out, voice as gentle as the truth was harsh. "For all you know, whatever it is at Balamb that's suppressing your magic is just making it that much more violent when you leave. You may find it easier to manage after a month away." 

Squall shook his head. "No. It's definitely growing. It's–" He waved his hands helplessly in front of him for a moment before dropping one to his lap, the other tapping his chest above his necklace chain. "It's like it's expanding, has been for...forever, really. It was harder to notice when I was a kid, because it was always...I don't know. It wiggled, I guess. It was never still, not like it is at Garden." 

_Not like it is now,_ Squall realised with some surprise, mentally considering the calm ball of darkness curled up at the back of his mind. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" he asked his GFs. 

"What are– Oh," Beau said, clearly realising Squall had changed his intended audience. 

_'WE ARE KEEPING AN EYE ON IT,'_ Sacred insisted. 

_'idiot! that wasn't what he meant!'_ Minotaur shouted. 

Squall tried hard not to sigh at the Brothers, their argumentative manner already familiar. 

_'So long as it's not causing trouble, we didn't see the point,'_ Bahamut replied, a careless shrug echoing through his words. _'We would have told you later.'_

_'This is your time,'_ Shiva soothed, shooting icy magic towards Bahamut. _'We didn't want to interrupt you with something that is good news.'_

"Excellent, more like," Squall corrected. "But I don't know the reason, and that bothers me." He glanced over at Beau, who had turned back to watch where Leviathan had finally got bored with the Galbadians and vanished under the surface of the water. "Sorry," Squall offered. 

Beau snorted. "I'm used to you getting lost in your head, kid." 

Squall let a helpless smile turn his mouth at that simple truth for a brief moment, before he remembered his current confusion and frowned. "My magic, right now, it's the same as at Garden." 

Beau frowned himself at that, rubbing at his chin around the bars. "You're going to need to talk to Edea. She's the only person who might have any idea what's going on." 

Squall glanced back towards where Seifer was holding everyone else's attention in the cabin, then slumped. "Yeah, I know." 

Beau sighed and ruffled his hair. "Hey. How old are you, now?" 

Squall made a face. "Fifteen. Why?" 

Beau smiled. "You're allowed to ask for help, kid." He got up, groaning the whole way, like every motion hurt, and Squall shot him an unimpressed look. Beau grinned back down at him. "I'll send Matron your way. And maybe consider heading towards FH for some lunch, if you think you can behave your mayhem urges," he added, looking at where Leviathan was surfacing carefully enough that the ship only moved gently in the displaced water. 

_"I'm entertained enough for today,"_ Leviathan decided, flipping his tail and causing a splash of water to rain down over Squall and Beau. 

"Great. Thanks," Beau muttered while he turned to leave, Squall chuckling quietly at the rail. 

_"He is right,"_ Leviathan commented, nudging Squall's legs with his nose. _"This refusal of yours to ask for help is helping no one."_

"I _did_ ask for help," Squall insisted, slumping against the railing. "That's how I got Brothers and you." 

_'You asked a peer for help,'_ Quezacotl commented. _'Perhaps it is not so good an idea, this one of making children soldiers.'_

"I'll let Cid know you think so next time I speak to him," Squall snapped. "I'm sure he'll find your thoughts–"

_'Stop being rude because we're right,'_ Shiva ordered. 

_'You're not **that** childish,'_ Bahamut added drily. 

Squall rubbed angrily at his face. "I'm sorry. You're right, I'm just–"

_"You're a wreck,"_ Leviathan deadpanned, even as he rested his nose on Squall's knees, giving the railing a look that was probably meant to melt it. _"We forgive you for it, however; you're only human."_

"As opposed to what? A fish?" 

_"They are certainly chewier."_

Squall pressed his foot up against Leviathan's jaw. "They are not, you liar. They're bony." 

_"The ones you eat, perhaps,"_ Leviathan agreed. _"Jellyfish, however..."_ His head frills shivered. _"Yum."_

"Ew, no. Get out of my lap," Squall complained, having spent two days throwing up the first and only time he'd let himself be dared into eating jellyfish. "I don't want your jellyfish breath that close to me." 

Leviathan raised his head, ran his tongue across Squall's face, then dove under the surface of the water with a cackle. 

Squall stared after him, disbelieving, while his GFs laughed in his head. He shook himself after a moment and climbed to his feet so he could lean over the railing. "Get back here so I can Ultima your ass!" 

"Squall," Matron said from behind him, amusement and disapproval in her voice, and he realised some of the laughter he'd thought had been all in his head had, in fact, been from her. 

Squall held his hands behind his back, caught. 

"Don't threaten your GFs," Matron ordered as she stepped forward, pulling a handkerchief out of the pocket of her dress. "Even if they do lick you." 

Squall resisted the urge to make a face, holding still so Matron could wipe off his face. As she pulled back, he complained, "He was eating _jellyfish_."

Matron's eyes sparkled. "Some people like them." 

Squall huffed and turned back to lean against the railing. He caught sight of a white tail and narrowed his eyes. Leviathan laughed in his head as the tail moved out of sight. 

Matron's hand combed through his dampened hair. "Beau said you needed to talk to me." 

"Yeah." Squall gave himself a couple seconds to slump against the railing, then glanced up at her. "My magic is being...strange." 

"Strange how?" Matron replied as she easily settled against the railing next to him. 

"It...used to be chaotic. I think I told you, right?" 

"I recall something about that, yes. I assumed, then, it was because of the time magic, but perhaps it's because of the forbidden magic." 

Squall shrugged. "Or both." 

"True." 

"It's always calm at Garden, though." 

Matron fell very, very still, something odd in her gaze when she turned to look at Squall. "Do you need the GFs, then?" 

Squall shook his head, staring at her. "You know what it means?" he asked, heart thudding in his chest. Maybe, at last, he would get an answer. 

Matron pressed her lips together, debating, for a long few beats, then let out a sigh and looked down at the water. "You remember how you got your magic." 

"Yeah." 

"After you passed out, the young man who was there told me that your magic was going to be...difficult to manage. He suggested the GFs as a way to control it until your knight was ready." 

Squall's magic almost seemed to hum in contentment, and he looked over his shoulder to where Seifer was shaking his head at something Beau was saying. " _Seifer_?" he whispered, because that was what had changed, this trip out. 

Matron cupped his cheek and turned him back to look at her. "Your magic is calm right now?" she guessed and he nodded. "But it hasn't been in the past when you've left with us?" He shook his head and she let out a sigh. "Then, yes, I expect your magic has latched on to him as its preferred knight." 

Squall frowned at that. "Preferred?" 

She nodded and moved her hand from his cheek to his chest, pressing gently against the spot he always pointed to when he was talking about his magic. "Sorceress Magic always picks one person, above anyone else, that it considers capable enough to control it and keep its physical body – you – safe. However, as with your GFs, it can be managed, to some extent, by anyone the sorceress her- – or him- – self trusts enough to let help. Your magic won't fight its preferred knight, but it will fight a knight that you pick." 

Squall considered that for a moment, then asked, "Who's your knight?" 

"My magic preferred my father," Matron admitted, letting her hand drop back to her side. "Cid took his place when Dad died, and while my magic has never completely approved, it accepted the change. Far more willingly than your magic is accepting the GFs, but, then, Seifer isn't dead." 

"But...you never see Uncle Cid," Squall pointed out, frowning. 

Matron sighed and absently brushed a lock of hair behind his ear. "A completed knight-bond doesn't need physical nearness. Your magic _prefers_ your knight be near, for it's his job to protect you, and it's hard to manage that when you're apart, but it's not necessary," she explained, voice patient. "So long as both you and your knight still remain dear to one another, your magic will act as though he is standing right next to you." She shook her head and glanced towards Seifer. "I know we've cautioned you against letting anyone else know what you are, but it's clear that your magic is set on Seifer, so you may as well tell him." 

Squall huffed. "I can't imagine that conversation going well." 

Matron let out a quiet laugh and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "You know him best, sweetheart. Tell him when and how you think he's most likely to accept it." She sighed. "Just don't leave it until too late; he's going to try for the SeeD exam again next year, and if he leaves Garden for a mission without a completed bond, you're going to struggle." 

Squall bit his tongue against the fear that shot through him at the thought of being in Garden without the sense of calm that Seifer was apparently providing. "I'll talk to him," he promised. 

"I know you will. For now, why don't you come and join everyone else for a bit. Rather than watching out for Leviathan." 

Squall huffed and allowed himself to be led away. 

-0-

.


	5. Somewhere Worse Than Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mind rape and mental torture is in this chapter. (It's all Ultimecia being a bitch and Squall suffering for it.) I didn't mark it out, because it's right in the middle of a scene, but if you want to skip the worst of it: As soon as Squall gets dragged into his mind, skip to the next scene break. The event is mentioned again a few times, but you'll skip the most distasteful part.

Squall quickly discovered that, when it was his choice to share his secret, he was exceptional at making excuses to avoid doing so. Which was how it got to be the end of February and Seifer still didn't know he was regularly sparring with a sorceress. 

_'This would be funny, if it wasn't so pathetic,'_ Diablos, a GF that Cid had given him as a quasi-birthday present, commented as he walked away from yet _another_ spar with Seifer without bringing it up. 

"It's not just something you bring up in the _Training Centre_ ," Squall complained as he closed the door to his bedroom in the suite he shared with his roommate. "It needs _privacy_."

_'Should we plan for a candlelight dinner, too?'_

_'Stop it,'_ Shiva ordered. 

_'You have a month until the SeeD exam,'_ Bahamut pointed out as his presence smothered Diablos before the demon could further irritate Squall. _'Ask him out to the beach to enjoy the warmer weather or go out onto the plains for a spar, I don't really care, but get him alone **somehow** , or one of us will do it for you.'_

Squall stared in disbelief towards his gunblade case. "Did you just– Are you _threatening_ me?" 

_'I am giving you an ultimatum, because you appear in need of incentive,'_ Bahamut corrected. 

_'Technically, it's a way of giving you an out,'_ Leviathan helpfully pointed out. _'You don't **have** to tell Seifer, because you know we'll do it for you.'_

_'Leviathan won't be the one doing it,'_ Quezacotl added, to the general consensus of the other GFs and a very obviously fake whine from the water dragon. 

Squall gritted his teeth, holding on to a rumble of anger because he didn't want to be grateful. As much as he appreciated the push, he didn't like feeling like he was being _threatened_. "I am going to bed and all of you are _shutting up_ ," he snarled at the voices in his head. 

Silence followed that, and Squall got changed and climbed into bed in peace. 

-0-

"Can we spar out on the plain today?" Squall asked a couple of days later, when Seifer came over to his table in the library to collect him. 

Seifer eyed Squall's collection of classwork. "You hate sparring outside when you've got books with you," he pointed out. 

Squall gave a stiff shrug as he tossed the last book into his bag. "It's nice outside, and I'm tired of recycled Garden air." 

Seifer watched him for a minute, as though he might divine the real reason if he just looked hard enough, then let his shoulders roll with a careless shrug and turned to lead the way out. "Sure. No skin off my back." He flashed a sharp smile over his shoulder. "I'll kick your ass no matter where we spar." 

The banter was familiar, and Squall let himself relax into it. "You mean you'll kick _at_ my ass, Almasy. Whether you land a foot or not is another matter." 

"Big words, for someone so short." 

"Because you're a giant." 

"Maybe I am." 

Squall rolled his eyes. "You were far too normal-sized as a kid to be a giant." 

Seifer shot him the _look_. "And how would you know that, Leonhart?" 

" _Some_ of us didn't _forget_ our childhood." 

"Maybe some of our childhoods got forgotten for a _reason_ ," Seifer snapped back, stopping all of a sudden, face a storm cloud as he whirled on Squall a few steps off the road back to Garden. 

Squall blinked at him, thrown by the actual anger; it was hardly the first time Squall had mentioned the blond's faulty recall, but Seifer had only ever got irritated and changed the subject in the past. 

Seifer stepped forward, getting into Squall's personal space and sneering down at him. "Not _everyone_ had a happy little childhood with rainbows and fairy princesses, Leonhart." 

"You think I don't know that?" Squall replied, hand going unconsciously to his lion necklace. "I'm an orphan too, Seifer." 

"But you have a _sister_ ," Seifer spat, shoving Squall. "You have _something_."

"At least you don't have to remember her _abandoning_ you!" Squall shouted, shoving Seifer right back, an old ache flaring in his chest. "You don't have to remember running out to the beach every _fucking_ day, waiting for her to come back!" 

Seifer looked, for a moment, like he'd been slapped, but he recovered quickly enough, shooting back a, "Yeah, well, at least she _came back_ for you." 

Squall laughed, the sound broken to his own ears. "She really didn't. I got _sick_ , became a _danger_ to everyone else, so Matron sent me on Alexander to get me away from the rest of you. And I got to wake up in a strange place with someone I didn't know sitting next to my bed, sick as fuck and scared out of my mind." Seifer stepped back, eyes going wide. "And, yeah, good for me, I got Sis back, and I got Matron too. But you know what? I get to spend the rest of my _life_ scared that someone's going to kill me because I'm a fucking sorceress. So you can take your Hyne-damned theories of childhood trauma and _shove them up your ass_ , because you haven't got a fucking _clue_."

They stared at each other for a long moment, Squall trying to calm down, while Seifer just sort of stared at him. 

And then, without warning, Seifer laughed. "Oh, good one, Leonhart. A sorceress. You almost had me for a minute there." 

Squall felt something in his chest plummet and he turned and started back towards Garden, feeling numb. A part of him wanted to blow something up, but even his magic felt numb, as though the last thing it had foreseen was Seifer's response. "You made a shit choice there," Squall whispered to it. "Well played. Nicely done. Don't even _think_ about misbehaving on me, you are in the fucking _corner_."

His eyes burned and Squall bit hard against the inside of his cheek, tasting blood as he shoved past the security gates at the entrance. He spat the blood into a planter as he passed it, and continued straight, up to the lift. As soon as the lift opened, he swiped his card and hit the button for the restricted second level, well aware that he'd been given blanket permission to visit Cid whenever he wanted; being what he was had to have _some_ advantages. 

The headmaster was just stepping out of his office when Squall stepped out of the lift, and he looked surprised for a moment before his expression fell at whatever he read on Squall's face. "Come on in," he offered, stepping back into his office and holding the door open. 

Squall settled stiffly into one of the guest chairs when he reached them, while Cid sat behind his desk, looking tired. "I want to take the SeeD exam next month," Squall said without preamble. 

Cid blinked, then leaned forward and shuffled through the papers on his desk. "Cutting it close, Squall," he chided mildly. 

"I'm aware." 

The headmaster unearthed the paper he was looking for and looked it over. "The written exam is scheduled for the thirteenth, the field exam for the next week." He glanced over the top of the paper. "That's not a lot of study time." 

"I know what I'm doing, Uncle Cid," Squall forced out past gritted teeth; whether Seifer passed or failed this time, Squall had the chance to get the hell away from him and his disbelieving, asshole–

_'Deep breath, Sorcerer,'_ Bahamut whispered. 

"Okay," Cid replied. "I'll add your name to the list. Make sure you let your instructors know in advance, so you're excused from their classes for any preparation you may need to do and the exams themselves." 

Excused for preparation? Squall took a deep breath. _I don't have to go to my combat class again._ That was...a relief. Heady. "I'll talk to them first thing tomorrow," he promised. 

"Okay," Cid said again, scratching his chin. "Anything else?" 

"No, sir. That was everything," Squall replied, pushing himself to his feet and snapping off the salute. 

Cid saluted him back, half-heartedly, and nodded. "Good night, Squall." 

"Uncle Cid." 

Squall kept himself firm and unbothered until he made it into his room, door shut between him and his quiet roommate, then he sank to the floor and wrapped his arms around himself, let himself feel the strangely-betrayed agony that he'd almost managed to ignore. 

A sudden chill appeared on one side of him, while lightning danced over his skin on the other. _"We've got you, Sorceress,"_ Shiva whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, cold as ice falling onto the frozen waters north of Trabia. Squall turned his face to press it against her chest, letting his tears be frozen by her skin, even as he felt Quezacotl's wings wrap around them both, protecting and sheltering. 

Squall wondered, as he let himself fall into an exhausted sleep between his first GFs, how normal people managed without being able to hear them. 

-0-

Eight years familiarity made it disgustingly easy to avoid Seifer, to the point that Squall wasn't even certain the other was looking for him. 

Zell and Quistis both approved of his decision to sign up for the exam. Quistis he'd expected, but Zell surprised him. 

"You've just seemed so bored here," the martial artist had explained over a ridiculously early lunch, his tray piled high with hot dogs. "Me, I know there's still stuff I can learn, but you're always in the library and I'm pretty sure you're top of the class. I dunno. I was surprised you didn't take it last year." 

Squall did finally see Seifer again the day of the written exam. The blond hadn't needed to take it, having already passed, but he'd been waiting outside the door of the lecture room, eyes narrowed. "Leonhart!" he'd called when Squall had stepped out. 

Squall shot him a glare that, he hoped, got it across that he had no interest in talking to Seifer, and was mildly surprised when he was able to make it down to the car park unmolested. 

He picked out a car and drove it out past the Fire Cavern, then called Leviathan and rode him up to the northern island of the Albatross Archipelago, not even caring any more if it looked like he was running away. "One more week," he said to Tonberry as the little lizard appeared next to him, knife clutched tight in one hand, his lantern lighting the area around them just enough to show Leviathan where they were sitting when he finally decided to stop frolicking. "I can manage another week." 

Tonberry squeaked at him, wordless in a way that Pandemona could never manage. 

Still, his question was obvious, and Squall curled around his knees, his necklace wrapped almost too tightly around the fingers of one hand. "We'll manage, somehow, the lot of us. My magic will just have to give in to my choice and behave." 

Tonberry squeaked again. 

"I don't even _want_ to need him right now. I can't believe he–"

His magic rumbled, discontent, and Squall tossed an absent Ultima behind him, his Quake magic telling him there was nothing but trees there. 

No death throes or screams of agony followed, so Squall curled around his knees again, reaching over with his free hand to rub at the flaking skin between Tonberry's eyes. "Are you shedding?" 

Tonberry chirped and nudged up against his hand, so uncharacteristically adorable that Squall let out a started laugh. 

"Thanks," he finally said after he calmed down, the mirth lightening the heavy ache in his chest, at least for a bit. 

Leviathan returned, water lapping quietly against rocky ledge between him and the two on land. _"Are you returning to Garden tonight, Sorceress?"_

"No," Squall decided with a shrug, having been wondering that very question himself until that moment. "Tonberry doesn't drain me too much; he can stay out all night and keep watch, and then I can have you take me back some time tomorrow." 

_"As you wish."_ Leviathan agreed before fading away. 

Squall took a long moment to rub at Tonberry's shedding skin some more, then untangled his hand from his necklace and stood. "Let's find some place fairly defensible for the night, huh?" 

Tonberry chirped his agreement and held his lantern up for Squall to take, as his added height would cast a larger circle for them to see. 

There was an area not too far inland with a lot of soft deadfall, and Squall easily rearranged Shear Trigger for a quick draw if he needed it and his jacket as a blanket against the early-March chill, then curled up to sleep, Tonberry a comforting presence close by. 

-0-

His roommate had made no mention of his absence, and while Zell gave him a curious look, he didn't actually ask, so Squall considered his escape a victory. 

Once again, Seifer was absent from his life until they gathered for the field exam. The blond was wearing his familiar long grey coat instead of his cadet uniform and Squall snorted to himself; that was no way to win points with their instructors. 

Seifer noticed Squall after a quiet word from Raijin, and when he looked over he was wearing a sneer, as though to say, 'you've snubbed me for the last time, Leonhart'. 

Squall offered a humourless smile back before looking away, focussing on the SeeD who was calling out squad assignments. 

He was placed with Squad B and named squad captain, much to his own surprise. Neither of his teammates seemed bothered, however, so he shrugged it off and settled down with his squadmates out of the way. 

It took them all night to get around Balamb to the Hawkind Plains. While on the boats, it was explained that the Trabia villages in the area had been having trouble with the blue dragon population – a regular difficulty, Squall knew, since he'd killed off every ruby dragon his magic could find – and they'd hired SeeD to clean the buggers out. 

"It shouldn't be too difficult, so long as you work with each other," their instructor had said, pointing at the colour-coded map of the region on the wall. "Each squad has been assigned an area of the plains. Clear out your designated area of blue dragons and return to the ships." 

It was a simple assignment, so far as Squall was concerned. 

"Against all common sense," Squall commented to his squad as they headed for their area, which was one of the furthest inland, "blue dragons are especially susceptible to ice magic. If you can, junction against poison and petrify, because that's probably what they'll try hitting us with, other than their breath weapon." 

"Fought one of these things before, Leonhart?" Andrea Sutton asked drily. 

"No," Squall admitted, "but I watched a team of SeeDs take a number of them down." 

"Better than I've got," Damon O'Lena insisted. "Shoot, Leonhart." 

Squall nodded. "O'Lena, you're practised in life and support magic, correct?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Sutton, how are you with ice magic?" 

"I've junctioned Shiva since before I can remember. Ice and me are old friends." 

"That's what I thought. O'Lena, you're on support magic, primarily, with life casting if necessary. Try and keep a protect on yourself and Sutton at all times." 

"Not yourself?" Sutton asked as they all stopped so O'Lena could cast his spells. 

Squall shrugged and mentally forced his Auto-Protect shield visible for a second. "Gift from a GF of mine; I'll be fine," he promised before refocussing on the problem at hand. "Sutton, you and I will be shooting ice at the dragons. Don't concern yourself with physical attacks unless you need a break from spellcasting or calling Shiva." He pinned them both with a sharp look. "If you feel like you're lagging, let me know. I would rather be late back to the ships, than early while carrying a corpse. Clear?" 

They both saluted, and he nodded, then led the way towards where his Quake magic was telling him a blue dragon resided. 

Dealing with the blue dragons was relatively easy, with everyone sticking to their assigned tasks and Squall using his innate magic to track down each dragon. The one time O'Lena got knocked with petrification, Squall was quick with an Esuna and O'Lena was back to casting before they could begin to miss him. 

After one last circle of their area, Squall called a break, the three eating a quick yet refreshing dinner before they headed back for the ships. 

Squad C was still out when they got back, but the other three squads had already left the beach in the other ships, leaving just the one, as the fifth ship had been forced to return early with wounded. 

"We can start back now," the SeeD in charge of the ship offered, "and hope the first return makes it back here before Squad C gets in, or we can wait and cram everyone in this ship." 

"I don't mind a bit of cramming," O'Lena announced, wiggling his eyebrows at Sutton, who responded by letting ice magic climb over her fingers. 

Squall rubbed at his chest, the calmness of his magic suggesting Seifer was in Squad C. He really didn't want to deal with his fellow gunblader for the six-hour long trip, but he couldn't, in good conscience, leave any cadet behind on Trabia without a ship. "We'll stay," he decided. "If we're lucky and the return ship gets here before Squad C gets back, we can leave then." 

"Fair enough," the SeeD agreed before looking at Squall's two squadmates and barking out, "You're representing Garden and SeeD!" 

"Can it," Squall added as he stepped between the two to get into the ship. His head was aching, all of a sudden, and sitting down in the ship sounded like a good plan. 

O'Lena came to join him a little bit later, standing over him for a moment before he touched Squall's shoulder. "Leonhart, you're not looking too great." 

Squall waved him off while not bothering to look up. "It's a headache. It'll pass." 

A Cure spell washed over him, easing the ache, but revealing a strange pressure in its place. When he looked up, O'Lena looked hopeful, so he gave the older cadet a firm nod and said, "Thanks." 

"Gotta keep your strength up, Leonhart. Never know what might be waiting for you," O'Lena pointed out before heading back off the ship. 

Squall shuddered, something icy tickling along his spine. "What the hell is going on?" he asked quietly. 

_'No idea,'_ Shiva admitted, _'but I don't like it, and neither does your magic.'_

_'Most promising,'_ Diablos commented, and Squall would have complained about the demon enjoying his misfortune, but he didn't sound particularly pleased to be facing some unknown danger knocking against Squall's head. 

Voices sounded outside, and Squall could just make out someone saying, "–ting for us. Good to know not _everyone_ is interested in abandoning the wounded." 

"What are you talking like I'm some fucking _invalid_ for?" a familiar voice snarled, and Squall found himself jumping out of his seat and striding towards the boarding ramp of the ship before he could think it was a bad idea. 

Seifer's coat had largely vanished, save for the sling of familiar light grey fabric keeping his right arm against his chest. His shoulder looked ruined, skin dyed red around a makeshift bandaging job. (Also, Squall realised, made with the grey coat, though it was hard to recognise it through the stains of blood.) "What the actual _fuck_ , Almasy?" Squall snapped, starting down the ramp and feeling his magic shifting within him, angry at the thought of its chosen knight walking around with that wound. 

"He slipped," Seifer's squad leader offered warily. "Cracked his shoulder against at least two rocks on the way down. One of them was covered in this really weird slime, so I figured it was best to let the doc get a look at it, rather than heal him on the field and chance an infection." 

"Did you at least collect any of the slime?" the SeeD standing with them demanded, beating Squall to the question. 

"Oh. Uhm, no..." 

"Let me see," Squall ordered. 

Seifer's nostrils flared and he jerked away from Squall with a wince. "No fucking way in he–"

"Seifer, I swear to Hyne, I will make you regret it if you don't let me see _right_. _Now_."

Seifer stared at him for a beat, then turned so his shoulder was facing Squall again. 

Squall rolled his eyes and dragged the blond back towards to the boarding ramp so he could get some height on the other. "Don't even start with me," he muttered as he gently started unwrapping the bandaging. "I am not in the mood for your stupid cracks about my height right now." 

Seifer let out a disbelieving sound. "Are you in the mood for _anything_?"

"Stop moving," Squall ordered as he grabbed for his nearly-empty canteen and dribbled it over the edges of the repurposed coat, where it had stuck fast to the wound. He tried to be gentle in removing the fabric, but Seifer still hissed in pain a couple times. 

At last, Squall had the ruined coat removed and tossed it down the beach, followed by a Fira, then turned back to Seifer as the blond asked, "So, what's the prognosis, Doc?" 

"Shut up for a minute," Squall ordered, closing his eyes and letting his magic brush against the wound like it had been wanting to do since before he'd started unwrapping it. He got a brief sense of the slime – shaded the green of a Bio spell and streaked with black lines that reminded him of Demi – and knew it was toxic enough that Seifer should have been feeling it. Then he noticed the fading life magic clinging to his skin and asked, "Who cast the Regen?" even as his innate magic twisted around itself with something like intent. 

"Della did," the squad leader replied, clearly meaning the last member of Squad C. 

Squall's magic finally settled, leaving behind an impossible life magic spell that seemed to be a mix between Esuna and Curaga. "Now you're just screwing with me," he whispered to his magic before opening his eyes and looking up at where Seifer was watching him with furrowed brows. His eyes widened when they met Squall's gaze, and Squall promised himself he'd talk to Seifer later, if only to find out what he saw, then warned, "This is going to hurt." 

Seifer shifted, and Squall was about to yell at him when he felt an added weight against his necklace. He glanced down to find Seifer's hand wrapped around the lion's head, his grip a memory of every time Squall had grabbed for its solid comfort himself. "Do it," Seifer whispered, something entirely too trusting in his voice. 

Squall refused to let himself be distracted by the change in heart of the other gunblader and closed his eyes again, focussing on the wound his hands were covering. He let the new spell leak out through his fingers, settling against Seifer's skin and bleeding down into his blood, laced with poison that the spell sought out with a sort of single-minded purpose that spoke to exactly how determined Squall's magic was to have Seifer at his side. 

The pressure at the back of his mind increased and Squall grit his teeth against the distraction, leaving his GFs to manage it while he finished healing Seifer, feeling muscle and skin knit back together under his fingers. Scarring would be minimal, far less than if Seifer had let Kadowaki fix it instead, and he felt stupidly proud of that fact for a moment. 

But then the pressure smashed through, and Squall felt himself pitching forward against Seifer with a gasp, even as his consciousness was yanked into his own mind, shoved behind the small army of GFs that stood between him and the malignant _thing_ putting down roots in his head. 

_'You are unexpekted,'_ it whispered, voice silky and sharp as the thorns of a rose bush. It sounded like a female, something almost familiar in the tone. 

_'You are trespassing,'_ Bahamut snarled, stepping forward and letting out a sense of flaring wings. 

_'Yes,'_ the interloper agreed, _'I suppose I am.'_ Then she lashed out with magic that was pure violence, hungry for the screams of its victims in a way that Squall had never seen before. He flinched away from it instinctively, but it wasn't him she was aiming for. 

Bahamut screamed, the sound like the world ending, and was tossed to one side. He didn't move as the interloper continued closer, her intention bearing down on Squall. 

Tonberry jumped in the way, squeaking defiantly and getting in a cut against her. 

But then the woman did the same to the little lizard, laughing as he thrashed in her magic, screaming in agony. 

_'So weak, little Sorcerer, that you would feed me your attack dogs?'_ she taunted as Tonberry was tossed towards Bahamut. 

His GFs closed ranks between him and the woman, growling with one voice. _'You dare to threaten our Sorceress and expect to live?'_ Leviathan hissed, moving forward with all the unforgiving elegance of water unleashed. 

Squall curled into a ball behind his GFs, trying to cover his ears against Leviathan's screams as she brutalised him the same way she had Tonberry and Bahamut. The same way she was about to do to _all of them_.

_'Together,'_ Shiva whispered, and Squall sensed them moving, en masse, towards the interloper. One last-ditch attempt to keep him safe at all costs. 

_No,_ Squall sent after them, but they were already gone, already engaging the woman, and he screamed with them as he felt them fall. 

The woman stopped next to him and Squall forced himself to stare her down, to face her as fearlessly as his GFs had done. _Get out of my **head** ,_ he snapped, trying to pretend his voice wasn't shaking with the very real terror he felt. 

Like facing down a ruby dragon and knowing no one was coming to his rescue. 

She laughed and reached out for him. As she made contact, they both took on something like solid form, the emptiness around them sparkling with stars and shuddering with eons. 

His magic, but not; this was the sorceress who had given him the powers that had set him apart. 

_Who are you?_ he whispered to the unbroken features from his childhood nightmares. 

She stroked his face, claws sharp against his skin, and whispered, _'I am all there ever has been, all that will kome. I am the end of everything.'_ She stepped closer, too much in his space, and Squall bit back a scream as her hands bracketed his head. _'You will help me destroy the world.'_

_**NO**!_ Squall shouted, pushing against her. 

_'Yes,'_ she hissed back, and claws pierced into his head, sinking into his brain and ravaging through his every thought. 

Faces of those he'd known came to him, then, playing across the black magic around them: Virgie's adoring smile and her pendant stained with blood; children he'd watched on the ship; SeeDs he'd shared meals and laughter with; SeeDs who'd scorned him for the magic that coursed through his veins; Zell and Quistis, friends he'd tried so hard not to make; Seifer, their friendship fraught with insults and that impossible pull of his magic; Cid and Beau, uncles both, each with their own ways of showing they cared; Matron, ever unflagging in her love and support; Elle, never judging him for anything. 

_'Where is she, the Time Witch Ellone?'_ the sorceress whispered to him, voice as gentle as her grip on him was cruel. 

Images of Elle kept playing across the magic, of her smiling and laughing, wind pulling her hair every way, FH or open skies in the distance. 

She wanted Elle. The only thing standing between her and Squall's only family was Squall himself. 

It was absolute agony, turning his thoughts away from what she wanted, focussing on classes and lectures, on crossing blades with Seifer, on the part of his life where Elle couldn't be. _You **can't have her** ,_ he got out between gritted teeth, staring defiantly up into gold eyes as his fingers wrapped around the familiar weight of his necklace. _I will **die** before you get anywhere near my sister._

The woman's eyes widened, then narrowed. _'You are **SeeD** ,'_ she realised, the name of the organisation dripping from her tongue like poison. _'You serve the very monsters that would see you dead. Have you no honour for your fallen sisters? Are you so wretched that you would demean yourself to the very people who will destroy you? Destroy us **all**?'_

Squall lifted too-heavy hands and wrapped them around her wrists, gripping tight enough to bruise. _You don't get to make judgements when you're the one saying you'll destroy the world,_ he bit out before pulling on her wrists, dragging them away from his head. _You're the monster here!_

She screamed as he finally got her claws out of his head, the solid world around them collapsing back to presence and energy. 

_Get out of my head,_ Squall snarled at her, pushing her away with strength drawn from his own need to protect the only person in his life who couldn't protect herself. 

She fell back, towards the fracture where she'd come in, and caught herself there. _'You have wish to die, little SeeD?'_ she spat at him. _'I will gift you with it!'_

Agony ripped through him again as she left, magic not yet his own draining out after her, even as it destroyed everything it could touch. 

With the last of his strength, Squall directed his magic to cover his GFs, protecting them from the last-ditch onslaught, then let himself fall deep into the darkness that had embraced him years before, after Virgie's death. 

-0-

When Squall finally clawed his way back to the real world, he found himself in a body that ached in more ways than he would have thought possible. His magic trembled under his skin, recovered from healing Seifer and bearing the brunt of the sorceress's attack. In the back of his mind, his GFs huddled, as sore as Squall felt, but holding themselves strong as they reached out to regain control of his difficult magic. 

It resisted them, screamed defiance; something important was _missing_.

Squall forced his eyes to open to Balamb Garden's infirmary. Something let out a wail above him, and he winced at the lance of pain that caused in his head. 

Hyne, he felt like someone had split his skull open and gone rooting around in his brain. (Which...was actually sort of what had happened.) 

Dr Kadowaki appeared, touching the screaming thing and turning it off. "How are you feeling?" she whispered, voice kindly kept gentle. 

"Hurts," Squall rasped, closing his eyes. 

She sighed. "I haven't been able to cast any spells on you; your magic wouldn't let me," she explained. 

Panic cut through the pain, sharp and real, and he stared up at her, heart in his throat, even as he joined his GFs in shoving his magic back, because it felt _threatened_.

Kadowaki held up her hands. "Cid told me the truth; he had to, when no one could touch you. You're safe here, Squall." 

He gave a tight nod, relaxing as his magic stopped fighting quite so hard. It still wasn't happy, but it was manageable, for the moment. 

"I'd like to heal you," Kadowaki told him, and he understood she was asking if his magic would let her. 

"Please." 

Life magic flowed through him, focussing on the agony of his head. "What happened?" Kadowaki asked as the magic retreated, leaving Squall feeling only the ghost of pain. 

Squall sighed, uncertain how to explain the woman who had stolen into his brain while he'd been healing Seifer. 

He opened his eyes and stared up at Kadowaki, his magic snarling against his GFs. "Where's Seifer?" he asked, because the way his magic was behaving... 

Kadowaki sighed and shook her head. "That boy... He vanished after he carried you in here. No one's heard from him for months." 

Seifer was gone? 

His magic _howled_ , raging desperately against GFs and Squall's hold, and Squall realised he needed to get out of Garden before he hurt someone. 

He pushed himself from the bed, stumbling because his body wasn't ready to move after however long he'd been laying there, and ducked Kadowaki's grabbing hand. He ran from the infirmary and around towards the quad, certain that would be faster than getting through the front gates when he couldn't be sure if his ID was on him. (He was wearing his cadet uniform, surprisingly, sans jacket, but that hardly meant anything in the ways of what was or wasn't in the pockets.) 

Bahamut formed as soon as Squall got out the doors and reached down with one deadly claw to help Squall up onto his back, then jumped into the air, the backdraft from his wings sending a group of staring cadets to their knees. 

"Somewhere where no one ever goes," Squall got out through gritted teeth. "Quickly, Bahamut." 

_"I know just the place, Sorcerer,"_ Bahamut promised. _"Hold on tight."_

Squall pressed himself flat against Bahamut's scales and closed his eyes against the wind as it tore at him, the dragon easily managing a speed that Squall, himself, would have had to use magic to match. 

After what seemed like an age, Bahamut brought them down on an island covered in wreckage. _"Only monsters remain, deep within the depths,"_ Bahamut promised him as he set Squall down. _"No one comes, so you can safely rage forever here. There's no one you can hurt."_ He faded away, curling up in Squall's mind again, still recovering from his defeat at the sorceress's hand. All his GFs were. 

Squall turned and pointed his hand towards the water, letting his magic loose of its restraints. It screamed out of him, lighting the water with those familiar circles from the forest in Balamb years ago, destroying water because _something was missing_.

Squall curled in on himself against the crumbling concrete platform Bahamut had left him on, leaving his magic to rage like it pleased, because he didn't know how to stop it, wasn't sure he _wanted_ to. 

No amount of life magic would ever remove the sensation of claws digging into his mind. Kadowaki may have removed the remaining physical pain, but she could do nothing for the memory of it, the agony of fighting to protect Elle with everything he was, every ounce of will that let him hold back his magic when it needed to rage. 

What if he hadn't been quick enough to turn his thoughts to Garden? What if she'd seen Alexander? What if she knew how to find Elle? 

How much time had Squall wasted try to heal the scars on his psyche? What if she had Elle in her grasp? What if she was doing to Elle what she'd done to him? 

The platform rocked with a particularly strong explosion from the impossible spell, his magic responding to his rising panic. 

Squall clenched his fists, letting untrimmed nails bite into his palms and using the pain to centre himself. "I can't do _anything_ if I have to keep tabs on you!" he shouted at his magic. 

It grumbled at him, but obediently returned to the dark corner of his mind it called its own. 

Squall sighed and opened his eyes, only to shout and scramble backwards at finding the large creature staring at him, head easily as tall as Squall was when he stood up. "Holy _fuck_!" he managed as his magic snapped forward, an Ultima exploding against the creature's long chin. 

_'That's Eden,'_ Bahamut supplied, voice tired and amused. _'I wouldn't bother,'_ he added to Squall's magic. 

The creature – Eden – seemed entirely unbothered by the explosion that bruised its chin, and Squall swallowed down a bark of almost-mad laughter. _"Sorcerer,"_ Eden murmured, as though only just figuring that out. Its voice was almost female, but there was an ancient deepness to it that sent shivers along Squall's spine. _"You are not the lonely one."_

Squall swallowed. "Lonely one?" he repeated. 

Eden's head tilted. _"The empty one. He that created you."_

" _Hyne_?" Squall heard himself squeak. How old _was_ this GF? 

_"The lonely one,"_ Eden agreed. _"He did not know me, did not hear me. You do. How is that?"_

"I-I've always been able to hear Guardian Forces," Squall explained. 

Eden drew back – far, _far_ back – and looked down at itself. _"This is new."_

Squall stared at the GF, disbelieving, and shifted his feet. 

_'She is the spirit of Gaia, tamed by humans to serve as their slave,'_ Bahamut explained. 

"Oh," Squall whispered, heart aching for the GF's fate. Really, it was no surprise Bahamut hated humans so much. Leviathan, too. "I'm so sorry," he offered up towards Eden. 

Eden seemed almost surprised by that, moving forwards again so she could look Squall in the eye. _"Why?"_

"Because you–" Squall blinked. "You weren't given a choice. Humans, they did whatever they wanted to you, didn't bother asking if it was okay, and now you're–"

_"Free,"_ Eden sighed, wings stretching out to either side of her, each one easily the size of Bahamut. _"I could see nothing from within; now I might see everything."_ She looked away, towards the ocean, while Squall stared up at the almost innocent wonder with which she accepted her new form. _"I might go anywhere, were I to know where to go."_ She looked back at Squall. _"Do you know where to go?"_

Squall thought of Elle, possibly in danger and all unknowing, and Seifer, vanished while Squall fought for his sanity. Tears sprang to his eyes, loneliness sweeping over him. "No," he admitted, choking on the word and the twist in his heart. "I don't even know where I am." 

"Oiy!" a voice shouted from below them. "Squall!" 

Squall stumbled forward, caught himself on the edge of Eden's wing when he almost fell over the edge of the concrete platform, and stared down at the scout ship far below, a figure in the familiar white uniform waving both arms wildly. "Oh," he whispered, before raising his voice and shouting back, "I need to see Ellone!" magic ensuring his voice cut through the wind to the ship far below. 

"Can you get down?" the SeeD shouted back, and Squall realised he recognised the man as one of the two SeeDs who always accompanied Beau, Matron, and Elle when they visited: Wizzy Shores. 

Squall looked down the steep cliff and decided it wasn't going to happen. "Give me a minute!" He turned away from the edge, only to find Eden watching him, face closer than he'd expected. "Shit. Hi." 

_"You know where you are going,"_ Eden said. 

Squall glanced back towards the edge of the platform, where the scout ship waited below. "Well, the SeeDs do." 

Eden gave a slow nod. _"You go to see many things?"_

Squall stepped forward and gently touched the rough skin of Eden's face. "I hope so," he agreed quietly. "Do you...want to come with?" 

Eden seemed to consider that for a moment, then one of her wings swept forward, catching Squall gently in a nest of soft feathers, and she pushed away from the platform. 

Below, Squall could hear the SeeDs on the ship shouting in horror – clearly, they hadn't realised Eden wasn't a part of the ruined island they'd sailed towards – and he called down, "It's okay! She's my friend!" 

_"Friend,"_ Eden mused as she hopped off the island and into the water. The ocean started to crest for a moment, threatening to overwhelm the boat, but Eden glanced at it and it calmed down with a burble. _"I have never been anyone's friend before."_

"I'm sorry," Squall replied, smoothing a hand over the feathers of the wing he was cupped in. "It hurts sometimes, when they leave you–" he touched the lion's head hanging comfortably against his chest "–but it's nice to know there's someone you can depend on, when you can't get any further by yourself." 

Eden lowered her wing towards the ship, and Squall found hands reaching out for him, ready to help him aboard. He moved forward and accepted their help, stumbling at the last second as he felt a sudden presence in his mind, far kinder than the last invasion. Almost...motherly. 

He glanced back towards Eden and found her vanished. "Oh." 

"Hyne, kid," Wizzy complained good naturedly as the other two SeeDs retreated to the cabin to get them back under way. "When I asked if you could get down, I didn't expect you to hitch a ride on a friendly behemoth." 

"Eden," Squall corrected. "And I...didn't expect it either. She just picked me up." 

Wizzy laughed and ruffled his hair, the action soothing in its familiarity. "Captain may have us looking for GFs for you, but you always seem to find the most interesting ones all on your own." 

"They find me," Squall corrected before shaking his head. "How'd you know I was here?" 

"Saw Bahamut – not easy to forget that dragon – and so far as I know, you're the only one he'd ever listen to. I know you give Leviathan some freedom when he's out, but he never goes far, so I figured you'd be with Bahamut." Wizzy's expression fell and he touched Squall's cheek. "Hyne, you look like shit. How long ago did you come out of your coma?" 

"I–" Squall shook his head. "Today." 

Wizzy closed his eyes. "Beau is going to have my head," he complained before firmly pushing Squall towards the cabin. "Below. Now." 

"I'm _fine_ ," Squall insisted, certain that being stuck in a hammock below deck until they got to the Alexander wasn't going to help with the memories of claws in his head or the screams of his GFs as they were left for dead by a woman intent on destroying everything. 

Wizzy kept his silence until they were below deck, pointing towards one of the hammocks. "Kid, I don't pretend to know shit about Sorceress Magic, but I'm pretty sure a ten-month coma isn't a good sign for anyone." 

Squall stumbled, his stomach plummeting. "Ten months?" he repeated, even as he felt Wizzy's hands under his elbows, steadying him. How much damage had that woman _done_ to him? 

_'I do not think her attack was as short as it seemed,'_ Shiva offered tiredly. _'There was time magic involved, and that twists many things, especially when it was time magic fighting time magic.'_

_'Shiva speaks truth,'_ Diablos offered, voice faint. _'A battle which seemed, to us, to pass in but seconds, could well have waged for days in the physical world.'_

"So Sis might still be safe?" Squall asked. 

"You talking to your GFs?" Wizzy asked, and Squall gave an absent nod as said GFs offered hopeful assurances. Wizzy snapped his fingers a few times in front of Squall's face and he scowled at him, only now realising he'd been manhandled into the hammock while he'd been talking to Shiva and Diablos. "I think I can help you some with Elle." 

Squall blinked and sat up as much as he could manage. "You can? Is she okay? She's in danger." 

Wizzy closed his eyes. "We got that when Edea said, one day, that she was a danger to Elle and had a scout ship take her to the Galbadian continent." 

Squall's felt like his heart had stopped. "Matron?" he whispered, something sick clawing at his throat. Had that sorceress decided to try Matron because Squall had fought her off? 

Wizzy squeezed his shoulder. "Beau decided to leave Elle at Balamb for her safety, since that was the exact opposite of what he'd always been ordered to do. And she wanted to be closer to you. I take it you didn't see her when you woke up?" 

Squall shook his head. "Had to get out of Garden," he whispered. "How long ago did Matron–?" He couldn't say it. Hyne, what had he _done_?

_'Protected yourself,'_ Bahamut offered. 

"About three months ago, I think," Wizzy said. "Least, that's when word got to us. Hard to know for sure, without proper lines of communication. Beau would know for sure." 

Squall nodded and turned his head away, signalling he was done with the conversation. 

Wizzy squeezed his shoulder again. "Get some sleep, Squall. I'll wake you when we get to Alexander." 

"I thought Sis was in Balamb," Squall roused himself enough to say, realising, with surprise, that he was falling asleep. 

"Yeah, but I need a different crew if I'm going to get you all the way back to Balamb. Not to mention, I need to tell Beau I'm going off course." 

"Right." Squall closed his eyes again and let himself drift towards sleep, the gentle rocking of the hammock soothing his way. 

-0-

.


	6. Bound and Breakin'

Beau was not impressed to find out Squall had only just woken up before he left Garden. 

Squall just rubbed tiredly at the bridge of his nose and decided it wasn't worth arguing about, so, as soon as he could get a word in, he asked, "How long ago did Matron leave?" 

Beau pressed his lips together, letting them pale in a show of his irritation. "End of September," he said after a long silence, his voice tense. 

Squall rubbed his thumb over the warmed metal of the scout ship's railing. "Did she complain of a headache before she left?" 

Beau frowned. "A headache? No. But I remember thinking she looked a little strained, like she might have been in pain." His eyes sharpened. "Do you know what's going on?" 

Squall swallowed and nodded. "I got attacked," he said before tapping his forehead. "Mentally." He looked out over the sea, towards the retreating form of the Alexander, which they'd left behind after a quick change of personal (and finding Squall some shoes). "It was the sorceress I got my powers from. She said something about destroying the world, and that she was looking for Sis. I managed to kick her out." 

"But it left you in a coma for almost four months," Beau murmured before his arm wrapped around Squall's shoulders. "Come here, kid." 

Squall turned towards the man and pressed his face against Beau's shoulder, accepting the offered comfort gratefully. 

When he finally pulled away, rubbing at damp eyes, Beau asked, "Are you okay?" 

"No," Squall admitted. "But I'll manage." 

Beau sighed and squeezed his shoulder. "I wish you didn't have to." 

Squall glanced up at that. "I'm Garden." 

"You're _SeeD_ ," Beau replied, a tired smile playing about his mouth. "They passed you." 

Squall blinked, surprised. A part of him had known he'd done perfectly – followed his directive, kept his squad in line, kept them alive and safe, went above and beyond to help another cadet who'd been hurt – but then he'd collapsed, and they can't have not taken that into account. Especially if he was in a coma for ten months. 

"You did good, kid. Fainting from magical exhaustion after everyone was safe didn't change that." 

"It wasn't magical exhaustion," Squall argued. 

Beau sighed. "No. But they didn't realise that for almost a week." He glanced towards Squall. "After Seifer left." 

Squall tensed. "Doc Kadowaki said no one could touch me." 

"From what Cid said, you were fine for about a week, but then your magic went haywire. Edea had some pointed questions, and it turned out the change coincided with Seifer catching a train out." Beau sighed and shook his head. "I've got my people keeping an eye for him, but if he's half as smart as he'd have had to be to pass the written exam, he's going to be avoiding the coast." 

Squall grabbed his necklace, holding it as tightly as Seifer had done while he'd healed him, trust in his eyes. "I don't even know _why_ ," he whispered, and it hurt anew, the reminder that Seifer had left him while he'd been struggling. That he'd laughed in Squall's face when he'd told the blond the truth. 

His magic snarled, angry on his behalf that its chosen knight wasn't playing by the rules. 

"You fucked this up yourself," Squall snapped at it. "Shut up and fucking sit down. I am _done_ with you right now." 

Beau ruffled his hair. "Who's being difficult this time?" 

"My magic," Squall grumbled, tapping his chest. 

Beau snatched his hand back, and he looked vaguely disturbed when Squall glanced over at him. "How difficult is it being?" 

Squall eyed him for a minute, uncertain, before a thought occurred to him. "You tried touching me while I was unconscious, didn't you? After Seifer left." 

Beau grimaced and hesitated for a second before carefully pulling up his sleeve to show a tightly packed line of scars that Squall had never seen on him before. "Cid thought someone you trusted should try, and I said I'd do it, rather than Edea or Elle. Glad I did." 

Something like guilt churned in his stomach, and Squall closed his eyes against the wounds on the captain's arm. They looked like they would stretch unpleasantly every time they moved; uncomfortable for someone who's life _didn't_ depend on using their sword to its fullest extent. "Can you fix it?" he demanded of his magic and it shrank back from his irritation. "You made a spell for Seifer, you can do it again." 

His magic seemed to huff at him, asking why he thought it cared. 

"Because it's _your fault_ and I'm _telling you to_. You don't get to pick and choose who I care about!" 

"I'm not sure if it's fascinating or disturbing when he starts talking to himself," Squall heard Wizzy say as he glared his magic into submission. 

"Right now, I'm going with disturbing," Beau replied, words careful. 

His magic finally gave in and twisted around itself the same way it had when it made that life spell for Seifer. This time, the spell it handed over was time magic, intended to fix aged damage – like Beau's scars – by simply returning the damaged area back to a time before it became damaged. 

Squall raised his eyebrows, torn between disbelieving and impressed. "Holy fuck," he whispered. 

_'Your magic likes making the impossible possible,'_ Bahamut commented, entertained. 

_'It is truly the soul of the lonely one,'_ Eden offered, intrigued. 

Squall shook his head and opened his eyes. The two SeeDs both took a step back, and he was reminded of the way Seifer's eyes had widened. "What?" 

Beau cleared his throat. "Sorry. Your eyes were black." 

"All of them," Wizzy added, waving at his own eyes. "Even the white part. But they're back to normal now." 

_'Likely a reaction to you creating magic that doesn't exist,'_ Diablos suggested. _'You reach into nothingness to make something; a physical show of the impossible is to be expected.'_

"Thank you for that explanation," Squall muttered before focussing on Beau. "I can fix your arm, if you want." 

Beau frowned. "I thought we determined life magic wasn't something your magic did." 

Squall offered him a helpless smile. "It's not life magic." He sighed and shook his head. "I can't promise it won't hurt, because I have no idea, but it'll get rid of the scarring." 

Beau considered that for a moment before very decisively pulling off his white jacket, under which was a light blue undershirt and the proof that he'd only shown Squall part of the scars; they went all the way up to his shoulder. 

"Hyne," Squall breathed, horrified. 

Beau glanced down at the scars, curling tightly around his arm like someone had wrapped it with a rope, then cut it all off with enough force to leave a long, straight line through the length. "A lesson to all of us: your magic is overprotective." 

"My magic is in time-out," Squall deadpanned before stepping forward and gently placing his hands over the marks. He reached for the magic needed to cast the new spell and it trickled forward, petulant. "Stop it," he ordered, and the flow increased enough that he could see the scars darkening back to their wounds, before vanishing. 

"That was...a little weird," Beau decided, staring down at his arm as Squall stepped back. 

"It looked like you were...reversing time, almost," Wizzy helpfully offered, handing back the jacket he'd taken when Beau had removed it. 

Squall shrugged. "Essentially." 

Beau pointed at him. "Thank you for the reminder that your magic is terrifying." 

Squall remembered claws in his head and gold eyes swirling with violent madness. "Yeah," he said past a block in his throat. "Danger of inheriting it from a crazy sorceress." 

Beau reached forward and squeezed his shoulder, newly undamaged arm obvious between them. "Hey, the thing about your magic? It's _yours_." He touched Squall's chest. "It's difficult sometimes, but its heart is in the right place." 

Squall didn't even realise he was moving until he'd already wrapped his arms around Beau, pressing his forehead against the gentle thud of the captain's heart. "Thank you," he got out, the words choked by the burn in his eyes. 

Beau held him tight and whispered, "You're a good kid, Squall. And don't you _ever_ forget that." 

-0-

They docked at Balamb and locked down the cabin before Squall, Beau, Wizzy, and John Walker – the SeeD Beau had dragged with him from Alexander, since the rule was three SeeDs to a scout ship – all made their way into town. They weren't far from the car rental and the main gate when a familiar voice called, "Squall?!" 

Squall turned to look and found Zell standing in the doorway of a house, eyes wide, but grinning. "Zell," he replied with a nod of his head. 

"Fuck, man!" Zell shouted, bounding up the stairs to the residence and hurrying forward, apparently unbothered by running barefoot on the hot bricks. "It's so unbelievably good to see you out of the infirmary. I was so pissed off when Doc K banned visitors." He gave Squall a quick look-over and made a face. "What the hell are you wearing?" 

Squall glanced down at the borrowed white SeeD uniform; his cadet uniform had desperately needed to be burnt, it was so far from salvageable, and he and Beau were close enough to the same size, any more, that he'd just borrowed the captain's spare. "SeeD uniform," he replied drily. 

"It's _white_ ," Zell pointed out, then seemed to realise there were three others wearing the same uniform. "Not that white is a bad choice or anything, but–"

"They're a bitch to clean," Wizzy agreed, nodding. 

"Something you want to say, SeeD Shores?" Beau asked drily, eyeing his SeeD in that manner he had that left whoever he was looking at unsure if he was amused or not. 

Wizzy shrank back. "No, Captain." 

Squall rolled his eyes and looked back at Zell. "Cadet Zell Dincht, may I introduce Captain Beau Owens of the SeeD ship Alexander, and two of his SeeDs, Wizzy Shores and John Walker." 

Zell's eyes went wide. "We have a navy?" 

Beau snorted. "We have _a_ ship, run by a crew that never attended Garden." 

Zell turned to Squall, expression falling. "Are you joining them?" 

"No," Beau and Squall chorused. 

"There are a number of reasons I can't," Squall continued with a careless shrug. "But I grew up on Alexander, and it's home. When I woke up, it was a good place to get back in the swing of things." He resisted the urge to reach for his missing gunblade. "Mostly." 

Zell nodded. "I got you, totally. I always come back to Ma's when I get hurt." He waved towards the house he'd come from. "Been there the past couple weeks, actually. T-rexaur," he added when Squall cocked his head in question. "Healed up fine, but..." He wiggled his hand, suggesting he hadn't handled the experience well. 

Squall nodded in understanding. "We're heading back up to Garden, if you wanted a ride back." 

Zell thought about that for a moment, then let out a helpless laugh and rubbed at his hair. "Alright if I say goodbye to Ma first?" 

"We'll wait for you at the car rental," Beau agreed, and returned the salute Zell shot him before the blond ran back towards his house. "From the orphanage, I take it?" Beau commented as they turned to continue their way to the car rental. 

"Yes. Getting a family was good for him." Squall grimaced, recalling the way Seifer could still get under Zell's skin without even trying. "Mostly." 

Beau chuckled and ruffled his hair. 

-0-

Zell left them at the main hub, heading for the dorms, while the four SeeDs were headed for Cid's office. Squall had been made to promise he'd catch dinner with Zell if he wasn't immediately shipped out. (Squall hoped he would be; as chaotic as his magic was being, he wasn't sure sitting still in Garden was going to help anyone.) 

They weren't far past the turn-off towards the library when Elle's voice rang out, "Squall!" 

Squall turned and saw her down the path to the library, her green wrap hanging uselessly off one arm, like she'd grabbed for it because she always did, rather than because she'd had any intention in using it. He didn't think, just pelted around the corner and down the hallway to grab her in a hug, breathing a thousand times easier to find her safe; no matter what Wizzy and Beau had said, some things needed to be seen to be truly believed. "Thank Hyne." 

She hugged him back just as tightly for a long moment, before tugging away and smacking his arm, looking irritated. "What were you _thinking_ , running off like that? You'd just woken up!" 

Beau chuckled from behind Squall and ruffled his hair. "He's been chewed out already, Elle." 

She huffed. "I'll chew him out again if I feel like it," she informed them, and Squall rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Her expression softened and she brushed a lock of hair behind his ear in a motion that was achingly familiar. "I'm glad to see you looking better." 

Squall managed a tight smile. "Sea air has that effect." 

Elle smiled back, helpless and knowing. "It does. I miss it, just a little bit." 

"I'm sorry, Elle," Beau murmured, stepping forward to touch her shoulder. "Regretfully, sometimes your safety has to be put above your wishes." 

She shook her head. "It's fine. And Squall's here, now. Awake." 

Squall swallowed and shook his head. "I need to find Seifer," he admitted, and his magic rumbled in agreement. He needed to know why Seifer had left, why he'd acted like he'd trusted Squall one moment, and then–

"You'll be stuck in Garden for a least a week, and you know it," Beau told him, tone stern. When Squall shot him a glare, the captain shook his head. "Don't even try, Squall. You were in a coma for ten months. SeeD policy is..." 

Squall closed his eyes, resigning himself to the trapped feeling crawling over his skin. "If if it takes more than a week to heal, you can't be sent out on a mission for at least a week, to be lengthened at the discretion of a licenced healer." 

"You ran off for almost two weeks," Beau added, unbending. "If you think that crazy doctor of yours is going to let you out of Garden any time before the end of the month, you need the grounding more than you want to admit." 

Squall grit his teeth, but had to admit Beau was right; anyone else who had tried fleeing the infirmary after being in a coma for ten months would have been strapped to a bed and force-fed sleep powder until they couldn't resist any more. If he hadn't had Haste magic to make up for his weakened limbs and Bahamut to fly him off the quad, he'd never have made it out of Garden. 

Speaking of... "SeeD Leonhart!" Kadowaki shouted across the hub. 

Elle let out a quiet giggle while Squall groaned and dropped his head into his hands. 

Beau ruffled his hair and called, "I'm taking him up to visit the headmaster, then I promise he's coming straight to you, Doc." 

"I'm holding you to that, Captain Owens." 

"I hate you," Squall muttered. 

"You'll get over it," Beau promised before gently tugging on Squall's shoulder. "Come on. Let's go see Cid before she decides you don't actually need to go up there." 

Squall sighed and turned to follow the three SeeDs towards the lift again, unsurprised when Elle linked their arms, clearly intent on coming with. "Have you read all the books in the library yet?" 

Elle's eyes sparkled. "Would you be surprised if I said yes?" 

Squall suppressed a smile. "Not even a little." 

She laughed and let go of him long enough that they could step onto the lift. "No," she admitted once the doors had closed. "I've been helping Quisty. She became an instructor while you were in your coma." 

"Hm. Sounds like her." 

"She's having a hard time of it, though," Elle added, pressing her fingers against Squall's forearm. "You should talk to her. Be supportive." 

"I will," Squall promised as they reached the top floor. 

Beau led the way into Cid's office, Squall and Elle following behind. John and Wizzy stopped just inside the door, taking up loose stances to either side. "I've recovered your missing SeeD, sir," Beau announced as he stopped in front of Cid's desk, saluting. 

"Squall," Cid breathed out, slumping back into his chair. "Thank Hyne. With Edea gone, I thought..." 

Squall gently disentangled his arm from Elle's grip and stepped forward to make his own salute. "Sorry for running off, Uncle Cid, but I didn't really have a choice. Not the way my magic was behaving." 

Cid sighed and waved for them to take the visitor chairs in front of his desk. "I understand," he admitted before offering a wry smile. "I expected something like that, honestly." 

Squall shot Beau a ' _See_?' look, then offered, "I may have an idea what happened to Matron." 

Cid straightened and, next to Squall, Elle let out a startled noise. "Please," the headmaster whispered, voice cracking, "anything you can tell me is more than I have." 

Squall swallowed and shook his head. "You may wish otherwise, but... I was attacked. It was all mental, so there was nothing anyone could have done. But, it was the sorceress who gave me her powers. I think, after I pushed her out, that she went for Matron." He glanced away from Cid's crumpling face, towards Elle's teary gaze. "She wanted you, Sis. Said something about destroying the world." 

Elle got up and looked between Squall's straight back and Cid's crumpled form, then walked over to hug the headmaster, whispering comfort to him while he tried to come to terms with the fact that his wife was very much not okay. 

_And there's really nothing,_ Squall realised with a pang, _that he can do about it, besides send SeeDs out to look for her. He can't leave the school, can't make her his priority._

_'Just as your health and the laws you have chosen to follow must come before finding Seifer,'_ Quezacotl murmured. 

"I know," Squall replied quietly. "I get it. I need to stay in Garden for a while." 

Cid shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. "I'm afraid so," he agreed quietly, meeting Squall's tired gaze with red eyes. "Dr Kadowaki understands why you had to leave, but she'd not pleased." 

"We did get that impression," Beau offered, quietly amused. 

Cid's mouth gave a faint twitch, like he knew he was supposed to smile there, but couldn't quite bring himself to do so. "Then I don't need to tell you to report to her as soon as you leave here." 

"Not this time," Squall agreed. 

Cid nodded and straightened, pulling down a mask of authority to hide behind. "If the sorceress who gave you your powers is involved, then I'll have to double our search for Edea, but caution the SeeDs to keep their distance." He turned a gaze filled with pain on Squall. "When we've found her, and Dr Kadowaki has released you, I'd like to send you after her; I'm not sure I trust anyone else to get through a battle alive." 

Squall grimaced, admitting that was very true. "Of course." 

"That means," Cid added regretfully, "that if Dr Kadowaki clears you and we still haven't heard anything about her, I need you to stay here, so I can find you." 

Squall stiffened and closed his eyes. Inside him, his magic churned angrily, and he gave his GFs a moment to settle it before quietly saying, "I understand." 

"I expect your SeeDs are keeping an eye out for Seifer, too," Beau commented and Squall shot him a grateful look. 

"They've been told to," Cid agreed, "but he was not well liked, and I can't honestly say that I'd hear about it if they saw him." He sighed. "Especially as I can't give a clear reason why we need him back at Garden. I'm sorry, Squall." 

"I'll manage," Squall said, keeping his tone firm. Trying to believe it himself. 

Cid nodded. "Very well. Ah, one last thing, and then you can go." Squall raised an eyebrow. "Well, two things, really, but it sounds like you're already aware you were made a SeeD," he said as he leaned back to open a drawer. 

"It was mentioned," he agreed. 

"Good." Cid closed the drawer and leaned forward with a SeeD ID card, which Squall took. "I expect you know what to do with that. As for your things, they were put into storage when it became clear you wouldn't be waking up, but Elle talked me into giving her one of the guest suites when she came to stay, and your things are all in there. She can show you the way." 

Squall blinked, then let out a snort and glanced over at his sister. "Do you have _any_ idea how many times I tried to get Matron to let me room with you?" 

Elle grinned at him, though it didn't quite meet her eyes, and admitted, "Probably as many as I did." 

"I'm glad to hear the end of _that_ argument," Beau declared as he stood. "Right, let's go. Infirmary, then you can check on your things." 

"And get Sheer Trigger," Squall agreed, waving a hand behind him as he stood, feeling the empty air where his weapon usually rested. 

As they reached the doors, a thought occurred to Squall, and he looked back at where Cid was leaning over some papers. "Uncle Cid?" 

Cid glanced up. "Yes, Squall?" 

"That sorceress, she said that SeeD would destroy me." 

Beau sucked in a sharp breath at his side, while Cid sighed and gave a tired nod before explaining, "Edea made SeeD to fight and kill any sorceresses that lost control. Neither she, nor yourself, were to be exempt from that." He looked back down at his desk, looking as though the death sentence he'd just handed down to Squall rested as heavily on his own shoulders as it now did upon Squall's. 

Squall smiled, feeling a little sick to his stomach. "Well," he managed, words strangled, "at least I can expect a quick death." 

Then he turned and pushed past Elle's reaching hand and Beau's grim stare, and hit the call button for the lift. 

Wizzy joined him as the lift doors opened, the others absent. "You're not surprised," he murmured, seeming surprised by that fact. 

Squall shook his head. "Should I have been?" 

Wizzy sighed. "No," he admitted, "I guess not." 

The others caught up with them while Squall was being poked and prodded by Dr Kadowaki, forcing himself to be patient with her after running out before. 

"You appear in good health," she finally allowed, stepping back. "Impossibly." 

Squall shrugged and glanced towards the two cadets hanging out by the doctor's desk, Triple Triad cards spread out across it. "Sea air," he deadpanned. "It's the miracle cure that all the cool kids are raving about." 

The cadets snickered and very pointedly looked away when Kadowaki raised her eyebrows at them. 

"You're still grounded," she said to Squall. "I'll let you go back to your dorm, but you're not allowed to leave Garden. Not even for training on the plains," she added, apparently reading his mind. 

Squall groaned and rubbed at his forehead. "How long?" 

"At least until the end of the month," Kadowaki decided before pinning him with a glare. "Misbehave and you'll be stuck here until the new term starts." 

"Yes'm." 

Kadowaki snorted and started back towards her desk. "Get out of here, Leonhart." 

Squall nodded and motioned for the others to precede him out. He'd have to come back later, when there weren't any cadets; now that he knew to look for it, he'd seen the stiff way Kadowaki moved her dominate arm, and he couldn't, in good conscience, let it go without at least _offering_ to heal the damage his magic had caused. 

Elle took the lead, then, showing them up to the guest suite she and Squall would be sharing. His things were all boxed up, from having been in storage, but he'd never had much, and it wasn't hard to find one of his usual outfits and strap Sheer Trigger on. Beau's extra uniform went into the new travel bag that all SeeD got – he still had his white one from when he'd left Alexander, and _it_ was water-tight, which the normal bags weren't – and he handed it over while Elle informed him, "It's oddly reassuring to see you in that jacket." 

Squall glanced down at the furry collar of his black jacket, remembering well the way Elle had made fun of it the first time he'd worn it to meet them. Matron had given it an uncertain look and been silently contemplative for a good hour, for reasons Squall couldn't even begin to guess at. 

"How long until the cafeteria opens?" Wizzy complained, holding his stomach. "I'm _starving_."

Squall glanced towards the clock hung between the two bedroom doors of the suite and shrugged. "We can head down now. We should get there just about on time." 

Wizzy was out the door like a shot, John not far behind. 

"You'd think we never feed them," Beau muttered, rolling his eyes and slinging the bag over his shoulder. "I'm going to drop this in the car. Follow me, or go after them?" 

Squall shrugged again. "It's early for me. Sis?" 

"I can wait," she promised. 

"Car it is," Beau declared and led the way out of the room. 

-0-

Without classes, Garden should have been boring, but Squall had never had Elle at his side within the familiar walls, happy to fill his day with time in the library, fighting grats and the occasional suicidal t-rexaur in the Training Centre while she told him fairy tales (of all things), meals with her and Zell, and sitting with Quistis and listening while she complained about her students. 

In the end, Squall didn't really notice time passing. Which was probably for the best for everyone. 

Word on Matron's whereabouts didn't reach Balamb until during the SeeD exam. Even then, it was pure speculation. 

"It's all we've got," Cid said while Squall read over the vague report of Matron being in Deling City. "If nothing else, I thought I could send you out to Galbadia Garden, see if Martine's got something he's not telling me. I know you're tired of sitting, and I expect you could use the chance to stretch your legs." 

Squall nodded and tapped the report against his chin. "I'll have to warn Sis. Did you want me to leave now, of is it okay if I wait for Zell and Selph to get back from Dollet?" 

Cid smiled, ever pleased to see Squall interacting with the other children he'd been at the orphanage with. "I'm sure you can wait until tomorrow afternoon. This is hardly a pressing matter." 

"I'll leave once the SeeD announcements have been made, then," Squall decided, turning to leave. 

"The last train for the night will almost certainly have left before you can get into town," Cid called after him. 

Squall glanced back over his shoulder. "I think we both know I have no intention in travelling by train, Uncle Cid." He tapped his forehead, meaning his GFs – Leviathan was nearly going as stir-crazy as he was, and he could easily reach Galbadia Garden by sea serpent – and Cid chuckled as he stepped from the office. 

-0-

Elle was sad, but it wasn't a surprise, by any means. "At least you got a little bit of time to relax," she said while Squall packed. She was sitting on his bed, hugging his pillow and looking a little pathetic. 

"I don't do relaxation well, Sis," Squall pointed out drily. 

She rolled her eyes. "As if I hadn't noticed. Who was it who called swinging a sword more relaxing than meditation?" 

Squall snorted. "I didn't say it was _more_ relaxing. More the same level of relaxing." 

" _Swinging a sword_ , Squally." 

"Dumb repetition, Sis," Squall shot right back, amused. 

She got up as he tugged the bag closed. "At least promise you'll try to bring Matron back," she requested quietly. 

Squall took a deep breath and gave her a sad look. "If she wants to, I'll bring her back," he promised. 

"And if she doesn't?" Elle asked, but it was clear she knew. 

"Then I'll bring back what's left." 

She tossed his pillow back towards the head of his bed and stepped forward into the hug he didn't pause in offering, as much in need of the comfort as she was. 

But, too, he knew what it was like to have that sorceress in his head; if Matron looked at him and asked him to end her suffering, he would do it, because it would be the kindest thing, at that point. And it would hurt – Hyne, he ached just considering it – but he also couldn't leave her death to someone else, someone who might draw it out because of what she was. 

"You sure you won't at least stay for the ball?" Elle asked as she drew away. "You missed yours, and they're supposed to be a lot of fun." 

"And spend the night standing in a stiff uniform, avoiding people?" Squall snorted and hefted his bag onto his shoulder. "I'd rather let Leviathan insult me all night while he swims across to Galbadia." 

"You're going to be _soaked_ ," Elle complained, but she was smiling. 

"I'll dry." 

"If you get sick, I'll laugh." 

Squall considered that for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't get sick." Which was true; even when a particularly nasty cold attacked the people aboard the Alexander and everyone at least got a cough, he was unbothered. So, admittedly, was Matron, so Squall had always assumed his immunity to illness was normal for sorceresses. 

Elle huffed and linked their arms. "Where are they announcing who made SeeD?" 

"First floor hallway." 

"So we're headed there?" 

"Of course." 

-0-

Zell and Selphie both made SeeD, and Squall waited long enough for them to get out of Cid's office so he could wish them a proper farewell, then took a car to Balamb. From there – knowing how much the townspeople enjoyed Leviathan – he walked out to Raha Cape and called the sea serpent there. "Do I need to give you a minute?" he asked when his GF immediately started splashing about. 

_"I haven't been in the ocean for over a **year**!"_ Leviathan called back. _"Ooh... Sweet freedom."_

Squall chuckled and sat down against the drop down to the water, letting his legs hang over the edge. "It _is_ nice to get out," he admitted, because even with Kadowaki releasing him to walk outside of Garden, he hadn't taken the chance more than once, as intent on following him around as Elle had been. 

His magic, thankfully, had mostly resigned itself to the forced stillness by the end of the first week. Eden had helped a lot, once she'd settled in Squall's mind, and calling Tonberry out so Elle could hold him every day helped use up any magic that leaked past the army of GFs glowering at it. 

But now, here, free from Garden at last, his magic had spread itself out, feeling along Balamb and watching out for any monsters that lingered on the plains. Honestly, it was sort of reassuring to feel the need to throw an Ultima at any monster that came within shouting distance; the quiet behaviour in Garden, knowing Seifer was nowhere near, had been unsettling, in some ways, even though Squall recognised it was his newest GF who made the difference. 

_'Not for much longer,'_ Eden offered sadly. _'It grows in strength and size even faster with this freedom.'_

Squall closed his eyes, feeling impossibly tired. "Once this sorceress has be neutralised, there'll be nothing keeping us from finding Seifer." 

_'I only hope it is so simple,'_ Eden agreed. 

_'These things never are,'_ Diablos complained. _'We **are** dealing with time magic, recall.'_

Squall touched his chest, magic humming under his skin hopefully. "How could I possibly forget?" 

Leviathan leaned up far enough out of the water that he could nudge Squall's foot with his nose. _"I am ready, Sorceress."_

Squall nodded and checked that his pack and Sheer Trigger were both secure. "How far down do you need me to climb?" 

_"Not far,"_ Leviathan decided before sinking about two hundred fifty centimetres further down the wall. _"I can manage your weight here."_

"You'd best not be calling me fat, Leviathan," Squall muttered as he turned and carefully began to scale his way down the cliff face, trusting his magic to tell him where steady foot and hand holds were. 

He reached the sea dragon safely and carefully slipped back to hold on to his head frill with one hand while he pulled his field compass out of his pocket with the other. He checked their position against his mental map, had Leviathan turn slightly to the right, then nodded and slipped the compass away so he could hold on with both hands. "Let's go." 

Leviathan moved at a steady pace, taking care to keep his head above water for Squall's sake. Even with the Haste Squall had let sink into the GF, they still didn't arrive at the mouth of Yaulny River until well after midnight. 

"We'll rest here for the night," he announced after Leviathan had faded away. 

_'Have you need of one of us to watch you as you sleep?'_ Shiva asked. 

Squall considered the way his magic was stretched out over the canyon, tracking the movements of every monster with any contact with the ground. "No," he decided. "I'd rather keep some magic in reserve, in case I need to call one of you tomorrow. And _you_ ," he added to his magic as he set up his small camp, "I don't need to know that much about my surroundings. Stop stretching your fingers and let me get some sleep." 

His magic grumbled, but obediently returned to a distance that would give Squall time to react if something came at him, but not so far out that he'd be aware of every monster's shift. 

"Thank you." He settled down under the light blanket he'd pulled out, using his pack as a pillow. "Good night." 

-0-

Headmaster Martine was both unhelpful and, by Squall's estimate, hiding something. He said hadn't heard anything about anyone of Matron's description in Deling or the surrounding areas, but he'd promised to have his contacts look into it while Squall 'rested from his trip' in one of the nicer guest rooms.

 _'I smell a rat,'_ Bahamut rumbled. 

"Blackmail, more likely," Squall murmured as he wandered around Galbadia Garden, getting his bearings. He'd only ever been to Balamb, but he'd seen floor schematics of the other two Gardens, so he had a general idea of where everything was. 

_'I'd prefer it if he was a rat,'_ Diablos complained. _'If it's blackmail, you'll expect us to feel **sorry** for him.'_

"What could _possibly_ make you think I expect common decency from you?" Squall wondered, amused. "I'm not _that_ naïve." 

"Squall?" someone called from just ahead. 

Squall glanced up, half expecting to see a Balamb transfer – though few people from his home Garden actually used his first name – but instead found a young man with long auburn hair and a familiar face that was filled with hope and trepidation. He blinked, honestly shocked to find someone from the orphanage who _remembered him_. " _Irvine_?"

Irvine's whole face lit up and he strode forward, the motion easy. "Damn, it's good to see you." He paused in front of Squall, clearly uncertain about how the reunion should go. 

"Likewise," Squall agreed, holding out a hand awkwardly; four meetings with his childhood friends when they didn't remember did nothing to prepare him for meeting with one who did. 

Irvine accepted it with a relieved sigh. "Shit. Didn't expect to see you again, after you got so sick." He frowned, releasing Squall's hand. "After I got older, I thought you might have died, and Matron told us she sent you away to keep from scaring us." 

Squall shook his head. "No. I ended up on the same ship Sis was on." 

Irvine chuckled. "So it worked out for you, huh?" 

Squall tried a smile back, but he knew it was pained. "Maybe, maybe not. The funny thing about getting what you want, is that it never turns out quite as well as you'd dreamed." 

"Sometimes it does," Irvine insisted quietly. 

"Not in my experience." Squall rubbed a hand at his eyes. "I'm sorry, Irvine. I've never been much for uplifting conversation." 

Irvine forced out a snort. "Yeah, I remember that about you." 

Squall tilted his head to one side and considered the other young man. "Galbadia doesn't use GFs," he recalled. 

Irvine blinked and gave a cautious nod. "That's right. Just Balamb." 

"Hm." Squall shrugged. "Doesn't explain why Selph doesn't remember anything, but it's good to know I'm not the _only_ one who remembers." He offered a faint smile to Irvine's widening eyes. "Zell, Quisty, and Seifer all ended up at Balamb, where Uncle Cid is the headmaster. Selph was in Trabia until a couple days ago, when she came down to take the SeeD exam." 

"And Matron?" Irvine asked, clearly curious. 

Squall paused, reminded of the reason he was in Galbadia. "She joined Sis and me on the Alexander, the ship we were on. Recently, though, she...disappeared. I'm here looking for her." 

"Are you...?" 

"A SeeD?" Squall suggested drily. "Yes. I passed last year. Quisty's been a SeeD for three years now, and Zell and Selph passed yesterday." 

"Y'all are leavin' me completely in the dust," Irvine complained good-naturedly. "What about Seifer?" 

Squall couldn't keep his expression from shuttering, hiding irritation and pain. 

Irvine whistled. "That bad, is he?" 

"He's failed twice," Squall bit out. "Last year he ran away." 

"Ashamed?" Irvine suggested. 

"I have no idea, but I intend to ask him next time I see him. Right after I finish reintroducing him to Sheer Trigger's pointy end." 

Irvine let out a startled laugh and moved to wrap an arm around Squall's shoulders, all hint of awkwardness between them fading. "You look like you could use a tour guide. And maybe a good meal." 

"Ah, now you sound like Matron." 

Irvine grinned as he started dragging Squall along the hall. "I am going to take that as a compliment." 

"I figured you would." 

-0-

Reconnaissance was surprisingly easy with Irvine helping him out. The sharpshooter – Squall had been a little surprised to find the other had specialised in guns, though he supposed it made sense; Irvine had never enjoyed hitting things with sticks the way the rest of them had – was familiar with Deling, and the sight of a friendly Galbadia Garden student wandering the city sent off none of the alarm bells that Squall's presence would have. 

For his part, Squall asked around at Garden and took a couple days to wander the Monterosa Plateau looking for the handful of small towns a helpful cadet had marked on a map for him. 

When he returned from his travels with no new information about Matron, but word that Seifer had been seen in the area back in December, he was surprised by the line-up he found standing in the exhaust of Martine's car. "Irvine," he called after a brief pause in his stride, "Zell, Quisty, Selph. This is surprising." 

"Squall?" Zell replied, frowning. "What are you doing here?" 

Squall raised an eyebrow at the martial artist as he came to a stop next to Irvine. "Where did I say I was headed when I left last week?" 

"Galbadia Garden!" Selphie declared. 

Squall gave a slow nod, refusing to react when Irvine leaned on his shoulder in an overly familiar manner. "And where are we?" 

"We didn't have a choice," Quistis said tiredly. "Things got messed up in Timber and we had to flee here with our client." She waved a hand towards the starry-eyed young woman at her side, who Squall had decided wasn't important after not recognising her. "Rinoa Heartilly, this is SeeD Squall Leonhart." 

She stepped forward with a bright smile, holding out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you!" 

"Likewise," Squall returned drily before looking up at Irvine. "Anything?" 

Irvine frowned. "Not from me, but they saw her in Timber." He nodded towards the party in front of them, the client stepping back with a wounded expression. "She's Deling's new ambassador or something. There's a parade for her in a couple days in the city, and we're being sent to assassinate her. Uncle Cid's orders." 

Squall raised both eyebrows and pulled away from Irvine to step forward, holding his hand out for the orders he could see Quistis holding. "Let me see." 

"No!" she snapped holding them out of his reach. "This isn't your mission, Squall." 

"This _is_ my mission," Squall snapped. "Headmaster Cid sent me here to find Edea and either kill her or bring her home in one piece, if I could. And _he_ told _me_ that he wasn't going to be putting any other SeeDs on it. So, I say again: Let. Me. See." 

Quistis handed the folder over with shaking hands and no further fight. 

"Squall," Irvine said, stepping forward as Squall opened the folder, "what the hell's going on? Matron's a _sorceress_?"

"She's been one since she was a kid," Squall replied absently as he looked over the plans. "She specialises in ice magic, but she can also cast some mid-range healing spells." He snapped the folder closed and looked over the shocked faces staring at him. "Edea raised me," he explained, voice gone tight. "She ran away from the SeeDs protecting her at the end of September, insisting she was going to become a danger to them. Headmaster Cid wants me to try and drag her back to Garden so we can figure out what happened." 

"So the headmaster doesn't want her dead?" Selphie whispered. 

Squall shook his head. "Not unless there's no other choice." He held up the folder and met Quistis's eyes. "I need to ask you to ignore these orders." 

Quistis swallowed and gave a slow nod. "Okay." 

"I'm coming with you," Irvine decided. When Squall shot him a glare, he snapped, "She's my mother too, Squall!" 

Squall clenched his jaw and bit out, "I cannot, in good conscience, ask you to come with me and be forced to fight her." 

"You're not asking, I'm coming." 

"We all are," Zell interrupted. "You'd do the same for us if it was our mother!" he insisted when Squall turned to glare at him. 

_'You cannot protect them from their own choices,'_ Shiva soothed. 

_'They're old enough to make their own bad choices,'_ Bahamut added drily. 

"You two are _not helping_ ," Squall hissed at them. 

"Oh boy," Zell moaned. "Here we go again." 

_'If they die, they die,'_ Diablos pointed out. _'It'll suck, but–'_

"He's talking to his GFs," Quistis added. 

_' **Hold your tongue**!'_ Quezacotl ordered. _'You know not of what you speak!'_

"Shut. _Up_!" Squall snapped. " _All_ of you!" He took a moment to glare around at the humans, then closed his eyes, letting his hand curl around his lion's head. 

_'You cannot save everyone, Sorcerer,'_ Eden offered quietly. 

_'They aren't defenceless, not like Gee,'_ Bahamut agreed. _'And Irvine is correct; she is their mother too. They deserve to help.'_

_'Give them all the facts and let them make their own choices,'_ Shiva suggested. _'If they know what they are facing, they'll have a better chance of surviving.'_

Squall swallowed and opened his eyes again. Four faces from his childhood were staring back at him, expressions ranging from concerned to uncertain. He sighed and squeezed his necklace before letting his hand drop. "This mission is not what it seems. If you're coming with, I need to explain everything. We'll take the train to Deling, and if you don't want to continue on after that, you can catch a transfer back to Balamb. Come on." 

Irvine joined him first, expression a thundercloud. "I thought you didn't _have_ GFs." 

Squall glanced at him, feeling tired and beaten down. "I never said that," he pointed out before looking towards Far East Station, which was still too far off to be seen. "They've never taken my memories from me, for some reason." He smiled sadly. 

"Lucky," Irvine murmured. 

Squall laughed, but it came out brittle and a little too close to the tears he refused to admit he was holding back. Through his magic, he could feel the rest of the group's steps falter behind them at the sound. "I'm really not." 

Irvine tried a smile. "You really are bad at uplifting, aren't you?" 

Squall managed something that almost felt like a smile back. "You have no idea." 

-0-

.


	7. Clouds of Sulphur

Squall hated trains. 

Any other form of transport, if he needed to get away, it was easy. (He might end up drowning in the attempt, but at least he'd die free.) But trains did things like travel through tunnels, and in a tunnel, you were trapped. 

The sensation was especially poignant with five expectant faces staring up at where he'd jumped onto the top bunk in the SeeD car while the others settled along the wraparound couch. Irvine had settled himself between Selphie and the client – what was her name? Heartlily? Heartilly? – with Zell on Selphie's other side, and Quistis next to the client. 

"What is your contract?" he asked after a moment, pointing at Miss Heartilly. 

"Oh, uhm. I just asked to be taken out of Timber, to safety." 

Squall glanced towards Quistis and she offered, "Selphie, Zell, and I are contracted to her until Timber gains independence from Galbadia." 

Squall snorted. "Sounds like Uncle Cid." 

"Hey, Irvine called him that, too!" Selphie realised, nudging Irvine with her shoulder. 

Squall sighed and leaned forward. "Cid Kramer is the husband and knight of Edea Kramer; Sorceress Edea." He paused for a moment, watching as understanding started to fall over the assembled. "You begin to understand, I think, why the headmaster wouldn't have sent those orders." 

"They're _married_?" Quistis breathed out. 

Squall nodded. "During the Sorceress War against Adel, Edea opened an orphanage down in Centra, at the Cape of Good Hope. Everyone in this compartment, save for Miss Heartilly, was an orphan there." 

"But I wasn't–" Zell started. 

"You really were, Zell," Irvine interrupted. "You were always tattling on us. Drove Seifer absolutely batty." 

"Seifer was there?" Quistis asked, a new light of understanding in her eyes, and Squall gave a sharp nod. "That explains a lot about the two of you. I always thought it was strange, how you remained friends when all he did was insult you." 

"He remembers as much as the rest of you," Squall offered. "He's met Matron a couple times in recent years, when she's come to visit me, but he always forgets her again after a couple weeks. She keeps trying; I gave up years ago." 

" _Why_ can't we remember?" Zell complained. "I _want_ to." 

"The GFs steal memories. They don't always give them back." 

Zell shook his head. "But...you remember this stuff, and you have GFs before you even came to Garden, right?" 

Squall smiled humourlessly and glanced towards Irvine. "I'm just lucky." 

Irvine flinched and looked away. 

Squall sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't matter, right now, what you do or don't remember. You'll simply have to take Irvine and my word for it." He looked them over, taking in their rebellious frowns. Before one of them could start an argument with him about what mattered, he said, "I lied, earlier. Or, well, I omitted a large detail: Uncle Cid and I don't believe Matron is completely under her own control right now. We believe there's another sorceress somehow controlling her actions, via possession, most likely. 

"That means that while _we_ will see Matron, she won't be the one fighting us, and she may have more than just ice magic at her disposal. There's no guarantee that we can get this other sorceress out of her head, or that there will be enough of Matron left to save. Uncle Cid would _like_ her brought back safely, but he's aware that it may not be possible, given the circumstances. 

"This mission is dangerous. I can't tell you anything about the sorceress controlling Matron, and I can't promise it will work out. But Irvine is right, she's not just my mother." He pushed off the bed and landed lightly on his feet in front of the ladder. "I've had two months to prepare for this, you have twenty minutes; talk. You," he added, turning to Heartilly and crooking his finger at her, "with me." 

Squall led the woman out into the hallway, letting the door slide shut behind them. It was a relief to see flat ground out the window, rather than the hated tunnels, and he turned to the inconvenient client with a lighter heart than he otherwise might have had. "You asked for protection, but you're being led towards danger. If one of the others chooses to return to Balamb once we reach Deling, I will send you with them. If not, I will buy you a ticket and give you money to either rent a car or stay a few nights in Balamb Hotel, as is your choice. If you go to Garden and explain the situation, I'm sure the headmaster will be willing to put you up until he receives word about our success or failure." 

"But I want to come with you!" the young woman cried. 

Squall stared at her, unmoved. 

Heartilly withered. "I can fight..." 

"How long have you been training for?" Squall asked. 

She straightened and proudly stated, "Three years!" 

Squall closed his eyes, his GFs laughing in his head. "Everyone else has been training at least twice that long," he informed her in a tone that he struggled to keep even. "And _they_ are all Garden." He opened his eyes and stared at her until she shrank back. "You asked for protection, Miss Heartilly; either break your contract and come with anyway, or listen to the people you hired when they tell you you're in over your head." 

The hallway darkened and Squall glanced out the window to find the blackness of a tunnel. "Fucking Hyne," he complained before turning away from Heartilly and towards the entrance car, itchy to get out. 

"You're not a part of my contract!" Heartilly shouted after him. 

Squall rubbed at his chest in irritation, magic shivering angrily under his skin. "Stop it," he muttered at it. "We can send Matron back with the others and look for Seifer after this. And then you can fight _him_ for a change." 

"Squall?" Zell said from behind him, and Squall carefully blanked his expression before turning to look. The martial artist looked determined, and Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine were arrayed behind him wearing similar expressions. "We're coming with you." 

It was an odd sensation, to have one burden lifted from one's shoulders, only for another to immediately take its place. "I see," he told them, keeping his voice even. 

The train slid easily to a stop, and a glance out the nearest window showed them in an underground station. 

"Quistis, Zell, or Selphie, one of you needs to get Miss Heartilly on a train to Balamb, for her own safety. Irvine, I need you running recon again–"

"Where is Matron, how can we get to her, that sort of thing?" Irvine suggested as Quistis left to collect Heartilly. 

"Essentially. Zell, Selphie, go with him." 

"You got it!" 

"Sure thing, Squall." 

Squall nodded and waved them out of the car, then waited for Quistis and Heartilly. 

Between Squall and Quistis, they managed to get Heartilly onto a train back to Balamb, a voucher in her pocket – graciously donated by Quistis – for one free car rental at Balamb. They couldn't keep her from using her own money to come back to Deling, but Squall considered the 'get me to safety' request fulfilled. 

"Anything she does after this is outside our power and grounds to claim she broke the contract," Squall murmured as they watched the train pull out of the station, both looking over the crowds to ensure she hadn't stuck around; as determined as she'd been to help, Squall wasn't going to put it past her. 

"But is she aware of that?" Quistis wondered. 

Squall snorted and turned away from the station. "I explained it to her. Let's go find somewhere out of the way to meet the others." 

"We're not doing recon of our own?" Quistis asked as they climbed the stairs out into the city. 

Squall sighed and shook his head. "The other sorceress knows what I look like. I'm hoping she thinks I'm dead, so I'll be able to catch her off guard." 

Quistis grabbed his shoulder and pulled until he turned to face her, one eyebrow raised. "You didn't mention _that_ part!" 

Squall simply watched her until her grip loosened, then gently reminded her, "I was in a coma for ten months, Quisty." 

Her eyes went wide. "Sweet Hyne. But you just–"

"Fainted," Squall agreed, looking out towards the street. "She's very talented at getting into people's heads, this sorceress." 

There was a long silence, then Squall felt arms wrap around him from behind. "Do you _ever_ ask for help?" Quistis asked quietly. 

Squall closed his eyes. "Only when I don't have any other choice," he admitted and she let out a watery laugh. 

They were browsing a nearby magazine stand when the others returned, meandering easily in their direction. 

"She's staying at the Presidential Residence," Zell told Squall, while Irvine and Selphie did the same to Quistis a few steps away, under the guise of Irvine hitting on the eldest of the orphans. "It's well guarded, but Irvine says he's heard of a back entrance through the sewers." 

Squall nodded and motioned for the owner so he could pay for the _Weapons Monthly_ issue he'd been looking through, then stepped away from the stand. 

Irvine joined him after a moment, looking dejected, with Selphie staying back with Quistis. "You people sure know how to have fun breaking a man's heart," he complained quietly as he led the way along the block. 

Squall snorted and gently smacked Irvine's arm with his new magazine. "Payback, Kinneas; I've heard how many hearts you've broken in Galbadia." 

"Ouch. Those waggling tongue do slay me so." He pushed Squall into an alley and followed quickly enough after. "Quisty said something about hiding you from sight when we get in?" 

Squall raised an eyebrow, impressed that Quistis had managed to tell Irvine even that much under the cover of his womanising. "The sorceress controlling Matron and I have met before; she left me for dead." 

"Element of surprise," Irvine murmured. "Fair enough." Then he cut Squall a sharp look. "You forgot to mention that bit, before." 

"There was a lot of information to dump," Squall replied with an easy shrug as Zell wandered into the alley, a _Combat King_ magazine open in front of him. "I'm sorry if I forgot one or two things. I am, in fact, only human." 

"There's a pot against that, you know," Zell commented, eyes glinting. "Popular choices are GF and alien." 

Squall rubbed at his forehead as his GFs burst out laughing. "Yes, thank you. That was extremely amusing, I'm sure. Shut up, Bahamut," he added as the dragon took a breath like he was going to speak. 

_'CAN **WE** PUT DOWN MONEY?'_ Sacred asked. 

"No," Squall said at the same time as Minotaur enquired, _'and whose money are you planning to use? the sorceress's?'_

"Sacred, no," Squall ordered before the younger of the two Brothers could decide that was a good idea. "Minotaur, stop giving him bad ideas." 

"This is actually vaguely entertaining to watch," Irvine commented. 

"He got so much shit for it, though," Zell murmured. 

"Mostly from Seifer," Squall offered, raising an eyebrow when the other two looked at him in surprise. "I am, in fact, perfectly capable of listening to two conversations at once. Especially when one of them is _pointless_ ," he added, rubbing at his forehead, where the Brothers were still squabbling. "Shut up, both of you, or I'm going to have Eden sit on you." 

Eden laughed, amused, and the Brothers immediately shut up. 

"Small favours." 

"How many GFs do you _have_?" Irvine asked as Quistis and Selphie finally joined them. 

"Nine," Squall replied with a shrug before turning away from their stares and looking down at the sewer cover he'd been standing next to. "How hard is it to get around down there?" 

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Irvine admitted as Zell stepped forward to heft the cover out of the way. 

"Right. Irvine, take point. Zell, you've got our rear; remember to put that cover back in place once you're heading down." 

"You got it," Zell agreed as Irvine started down. 

Squall glanced towards Quistis and Selphie and wasn't even a little surprised when they both waved him on, Selphie waving at her dress and saying, "Don't let Irvy look up." 

Squall easily shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it to her before starting down. "Tie that around your waist." It wouldn't help a _lot_ , since the jacket was short, but it would help some.

Eventually, they were all in the sewers, Zell pulling the cover closed over them. Irvine had pulled out a rough map and was studying it. "This way," he finally decided and they were off. 

It took them probably about two hours to find their way to the correct exit, between the maze-like quality of the place and the monsters infesting it. At last, though, they climbed out behind the massive gates. 

"Squall in the back," Quistis ordered. "Irvine, try and stay in front of him – you're the only one who's taller – and the rest of us will take the lead." 

There was a pile of crates up to a balcony, out of view of the gate, so they scaled that, Squall bringing up the rear. The others stepped around the corner and didn't make a sound or – according to his Quake magic – a motion after, and Squall was immediately on his guard. So he stayed back as Irvine stepped down onto the carpet and...froze. 

_No, not frozen,_ Squall realised, sensing the familiar magic, _Stop._

"Look," said a voice that made Squall's magic strain against his skin, "Uncle Cid sent my childhood friends to play with me." 

"Not nice, Sorceress," Squall called before jumping down behind Irvine. The Stop trap reached for him, but his own magic slapped it away and he stepped, unimpeded, around the stilled forms of his team. "You're not supposed to cheat." 

Matron sat in a throne at the far end of the room, dressed in a revealing black dress, Seifer standing next to her. Matron's face twisted with shock and she pointed a shaking hand at Squall. "How are you alive?!" 

"I'm stubborn." 

" _Kill him_!" Matron shouted, and Seifer jumped forward, gunblade raised. 

The first attack hit against Squall's Auto-Protect as he fumbled for Sheer Trigger, surprised by the lack of hesitation, and the second attack sounded of clashing blades. "What the _fuck_ , Almasy?" Squall snarled, his magic writhing under his skin and giving him the strength to push Seifer away from him. "I wasn't serious about stabbing you!" 

Seifer laughed, the sound cracking around the edges and he ran forward again, swiping at Squall. "I'm not the one come here to die, Squally!" 

Squall got tired of pushing Seifer away, only for him to run back in again, pretty quickly. After the fourth time he pushed Seifer away, he immediately reversed his swing, trying to catch Hyperion and yank it from the blond's grip, but Seifer dodged in time. Instead, he got a diagonal cut up his forehead, blood dripping into his eyes and making him look slightly deranged. 

"This grows tedious," Matron commented in a monotone before flicking her fingers and waking two gargoyles. 

Squall blasted one with a Blizzaga before he had to block Seifer again. The second gargoyle took its chance and scratched across the back of his leg, causing it to buckle. 

Squall shot out a second Blizzaga as he let himself fall back, out of the way of Seifer's swing. Still, it caught him across the forehead and across the bridge of his nose. He grunted as he hit the ground, then immediately brought his gunblade up to block the expected follow-up attack. 

No attack came. 

Squall looked up to find Seifer staring down at him, horror writ across his face. "Squall?" he whispered. 

"Finish him, you useless little boy!" Matron shouted. 

Squall climbed gingerly to his feet, trying to ignore the sense of his magic dancing gleefully under his skin. "So," he said quietly, "it looks like your control can be shaken. That's helpful." He slid Sheer Trigger away, knowing he wouldn't be able to move as fast as he needed to while using his gunblade, not with the wound on his leg. He met her stare, noting the way Matron's green eyes had gone more gold. "Now, how about you free Matron?" 

Behind him, Squall's magic reported movement from the others; the Stop spell was wearing off. A flick of his fingers with an Esuna helped them on their way; he could use their help. 

Matron smiled and stood. "I shall free all of my sisters from the curse of your kind, SeeD," she said, the words sweet when dripping from Matron's once-kind voice. 

"That line sounded much better when you weren't speaking through someone else," Squall informed her. 

Her smile widened and her hand moved in a motion Squall had seen Matron make many times before, just before unleashing ice on an unwary monster. "Get down!" he shouted. 

Before he could consider his own danger, a firm arm wrapped around him and Squall was pulled out of the firing path, his back hitting Seifer's chest. He watched the ice fly over the heads of the others, just barely missing Irvine's hat. 

Something within Squall suddenly connected, and he felt his magic gentle under his skin as a warm consciousness settled against the back of his mind, not intruding, simply there. "Your timing _sucks_ ," he whispered, and he wasn't sure if he was talking to his magic or the newly completed knight bond or Seifer himself. 

Matron let out a scream of fury and Squall turned to look over his and Seifer's shoulders to see the pile of ice she was gathering, the sharp edges sparkling. 

"We need to leave. Now," Seifer ordered. 

Squall's magic jumped on the problem, twisting itself into a new spell before Squall could even wonder what it was doing. "You're fucking kidding me," he breathed out as he realised his magic had given him a spell for instant teleportation. It wouldn't go far, but it would get them – _all_ of them – out of Deling. 

" _Die_ , Sorcerer!" Matron screamed, turning her ice towards Squall and Seifer. 

"Not this time," Squall intoned before closing his eyes and letting his magic flow out, catching Quistis, Zell, Selphie, and Irvine in the spell that dragged Squall and Seifer away. 

The spell deposited them in a heap, all of them one atop another, with Squall on the bottom. 

"Where the hell are we?" Zell breathed once he was standing, holding a hand down to help Quistis up, while Irvine helped Selphie. 

"Gotland Peninsula," Irvine supplied. "Look, there's the Tomb of the Unknown King." 

"What _I_ want to know is _how_ we got here," Quistis snapped, brushing down her skirt. 

Squall groaned and started pushing himself to his feet, only to find the ground suddenly falling out from under him. He grabbed for the shoulders of the man who'd picked him up and ordered, "Put me _down_."

"You're hurt. No," Seifer replied. 

"Then be useful and _heal me_. I am not some fucking damsel in distress." 

"No," Seifer replied, humour in his voice, "you're rather too male for that label." 

"I swear to Hyne, Seifer–"

"I'm not putting you down, Squall," Seifer snapped, narrowing green eyes. "You're not going back to Deling." 

"My mission–"

"Was a fucking _bust_ ," Seifer interrupted. "You had to _run away_."

"That doesn't mean _shit_."

Seifer leaned in, until his eyes took over Squall's vision. "No. Stop arguing with me." 

And Squall's magic, the _traitor_ , apparently took that as an order to drag Squall down into the darkness of unconsciousness. 

-0-

It took him a moment to recognise the steady movement of the transportation he was in, and he groaned and rubbed at his face. "I _hate_ trains." 

"Don't let Tilmitt hear you saying that," Seifer suggested. 

Squall opened his eyes to the SeeD cabin. He was on the bottom bunk, his pack and gunblade laid out next to him in easy reach. Seifer was sitting on the couch next to his head, reading what looked like the _Weapons Monthly_ Squall had picked up in Deling, while Zell was stretched out across the other end. There was a fresh scar drawn between Seifer's eyebrows, and Squall was surprised to recognise the blow he'd landed on his erstwhile knight, scarred over from a Cure spell that hadn't been cast until a few hours after the damage had been done. "Fuck you," Squall bit out, forcing himself to sit up. 

Seifer set the magazine aside with a grunt. "Trepe healed your leg. She and Tilmitt are the next car down in their own cabin; Kinneas is in the top bunk." 

Squall swung his legs over the side and pushed himself to his feet, gingerly testing Quistis's healing job. Not that he didn't trust her, he simply knew better than to force something recently healed. "Why aren't they sleeping in here?" he demanded, keeping his voice down in respect for his sleeping team. 

Seifer shrugged. "Trepe insisted. I didn't argue." He pushed himself up from the couch, only to tilt a little too far to one side. 

Squall reached out and grabbed him, sensing exhaustion not his own at the back of his mind. "Hyne. Why haven't you slept?" 

Seifer smiled tiredly and pressed his hand against Squall's chest, over the same place he'd always marked out as his magic. "Punishment," he murmured before nodding towards the door out into the hallway. 

Squall stared at him for a long moment, warring between his anger at the blond and a swell of concern. The anger finally won out and he ducked back down to grab Sheer Trigger off the bed, then led the way out into the hallway and down to the entrance car, where they didn't chance being overheard or waking the sleeping team. As soon as Seifer reached him, Squall grabbed the front of his waistcoat and used it to spin Seifer around and shove him against the wall. The blond let out a startled sound, eyes going wide at the magic-driven strength that he had never got a taste of before. (Well, save for while he'd been under the sorceress's control.) 

Squall pressed forward, using his body to keep Seifer in place, and snarled, "You have ten minutes to explain yourself before I see how hard it is to throw you out one of these windows." 

Seifer slumped back against the wall and closed his eyes. "You'll have to be more specific than that, Squally; as you are so very fond of proving, you know far more about me than I do." 

"You _left_!" Squall nearly shouted, his magic throbbing with its own anger. 

Seifer winced. "Yeah," he agreed quietly, voice heavy with shame. "It was stupid." His lips turned up with a wretched excuse for a smile. "I wanted, so badly, to be a Sorceress's Knight, as a kid. And you just... I thought you were fucking with me, in Balamb. I didn't–" He swallowed and looked to the side, a profile of poor choices. "You have no idea how hard it is to live up to you, Squally. I wanted to be worth something, be _your_ Knight–"

"You already were," Squall whispered, anger cooling. He dropped his forehead against Seifer's shoulder, feeling the blond's regret at the back of his mind. 

"But _why_?" Seifer complained as his arms wrapped almost absently around Squall's waist. "I never did anything worth–"

"I didn't pick you," Squall informed him drily. "My magic fixated on you. If it had been up to me, I assure you, there are other people I trust far more than you to keep me safe and sane." 

Seifer snorted. "Maybe," he agreed, "but how many of those will you let tell you no?" 

Squall shoved at Seifer's chest, but the blond's arms had locked around his waist, and Squall's magic had helpfully stopped fuelling his strength. Seifer raised a tired eyebrow at him, amusement thrumming at the back of Squall's head, and he scowled. "Speaking of telling me no," he snarled, giving up on escaping, "would you like to explain why you wouldn't let me complete my mission?" 

Seifer sighed. "You were hurt," he said, as though that explained everything. 

"Then _heal me_!"

" _And_ ," Seifer continued, undeterred, "you used a lot of magic to pull off that spell, Squall – don't argue with me, I can feel your magic, which, by the way, holy _fuck_ – plus whatever else you'd done since the last time you'd rested. And you weren't the only one tired. Or did you completely forget about your squad? Because they pretty much all fell right to sleep when we got on the train." He tightened his arms around Squall, drawing him closer. "It's not like you to get tunnel vision, Leonhart." 

Squall pulled on the front of Seifer's coat, forcing the blond to lean in, and spat, "You expect me to worry about my own fucking health when Matron is being _tortured_?"

Seifer's eyes went wide and Squall could feel his presence flinching inside him. "Sweet Hyne," he whispered before tugging Squall into a proper hug, and Squall realised he'd somehow managed to share his own torture with his knight. "I never should have left..." 

Squall held himself stiff for approximately two careful breaths before he gave in and relaxed against his knight. A little bit of the ache of the memory eased with the knowledge that he wasn't the only one who knew how it felt to be the sole focus of that sorceress's attention, that someone other than his GFs had more than passing idea of what had been darkening his dreams over the past two months. "Seifer," he whispered, throat tight with tears he forced back, "we have to save her. I can't–"

"You can't save her if you're dead, Squally," Seifer whispered back, the words shifting Squall's hair. He pulled back after a moment, eyes hardening. "Do you think she'd want to be saved if one of her children died in the attempt?" And Squall knew he meant the group of sleeping SeeDs and Irvine in the train with them. 

"I tried to keep them from coming," Squall pointed out quietly. 

_'And as I told you, Sorceress,'_ Shiva said, _'you cannot save them from their own bad choices. You told them what they were getting into and left it in their hands. That was as much protection as they would have accepted.'_

Seifer was shaking his head, eyes closed and expression odd, as he said, "What she said." 

Squall blinked and smoothed his hand against Seifer's coat, only just realising his hands were still caught on the lapels. "You can hear Shiva?" he murmured. 

Seifer's eyes opened, expression guarded. "It seems so." 

_'Oh, this is ex–'_

"Bahamut," Squall growled in warning and the GF shut up with a sense of him flipping his tail in Squall's face. 

"Pleasant bunch, aren't they?" Seifer commented. 

Squall snorted. "They've been trying to keep my magic under control practically since I became a Sorceress." 

Seifer let out a startled laugh. "Sorcer _er_ , Leonhart. Unless there's something else you've been keeping from everyone." He tugged on the back of Squall's trousers, just above Sheer Trigger's sheath. 

Squall shoved against Seifer's chest and was vaguely surprised when the blond actually let him free. "Fuck off, Almasy." 

Seifer wiggled his eyebrows. "I'll find out eventually, since we're going to be roommates." 

Squall pointed a finger at his knight. "No." 

Seifer smirked and pushed away from the wall. "I'm sure there's a SeeD policy somewhere about rooming Knights and Sorcerers together," he teased as he started forward, stride slow and steady. 

"The only SeeD policy concerning sorceresses is that any that get out of control need to be killed immediately," Squall deadpanned. 

Seifer froze, disbelief and horror churning at the back of Squall's mind. 

Squall turned away. "The less attention you draw to our connection, the better for everyone involved. Now, you need–"

"Squall," Seifer interrupted, one hand tightening around Squall's bicep. Squall turned to glare up at him, but his irritation faded at the serious expression his knight wore. "Matron called you 'Sorcerer', and then you transported everyone out; there's no way they aren't going to catch on," he warned and Squall felt almost like the ground was falling out from under him. "Chicken-wuss may never get it, and I don't know enough about Tilmitt to say, but Kinneas and Trepe looked like they'd both figured it out already, by the time we boarded." 

"Well," Squall heard himself saying, his voice flat, "this is a right mess." 

Seifer gave him a gentle shake. "You know them best, Leonhart; how are they going to take it?" 

Squall shot Seifer a glare. "How the hell am I supposed to know? It's clear I can't judge people's reactions." He snatched his arm away from his knight, refusing to care about the blanket of shame at the back of his head. "You need sleep. I'm going to check on Selph and Quisty, and if you're not asleep by the time I return to our cabin, I will make you regret it." 

Seifer sighed. "Fine. They're in the–"

"Trust me, Seifer," Squall offered with a sharp smile, "I always know where people are around me." He tapped one boot against the train floor, setting it rippling outward for a second before it easily retained its original form, slightly more stable than before. 

Then he turned and strode through the door to the train hallway, going quickly past the SeeD cabin and out onto the pass-through between trains. He paused there, balanced easily against the train's movement, and stared out across the open land they were travelling past for a moment before closing his eyes. "Diablos, Tonberry, I need you two to keep tabs on Matron." 

_'I doubt she will be hard to find, now that she's made her appearance,"_ Diablos pointed out, even as he formed on the walkway next to Squall. 

"I don't want any surprises, and I don't know enough about that sorceress to know what she might try next." 

_"As you wish, Sorceress,"_ Diablos agreed as Tonberry appeared at Squall's feet. 

The smallest of his GFs very firmly held up his lantern and squeaked insistently at Squall until he took it. Then he turned and let Diablos pick him up. 

"I'll keep it safe," Squall promised, amused. 

Tonberry gave a determined nod, then he and Diablos were flying away from the train. 

_'You know more about that sorceress than you want to admit,'_ Pandemona said quietly, voice a whisper of wind. _'You share her magic, do you not?'_

Surprise radiated from the back of Squall's mind and he gritted his teeth at the reminder that Seifer could hear his GFs now, too. "Which is exactly why I'm expecting surprises," he bit out before striding forward to step into the next car. 

_'She didn't use any forbidden magic,'_ Bahamut pointed out once Squall was in the new car and had stopped to unbuckle one of his loose belts. 

_'She stuck to Edea's preferred magic,'_ Shiva agreed. _'It's possible she cannot use her own magic through her host.'_

"No," Squall disagreed quietly as he slipped Tonberry's lantern onto the belt, so he wouldn't chance losing it if he needed both hands. "That Stop spell was innate magic." 

_'So there is a limit to the amount of magic she can use,'_ Bahamut decided. 

_'But what is the limit, and how quickly will it cease to have a hold on her?'_ Quezacotl murmured. _'We don't know enough about her possession magic to know its limits.'_

Squall paused, belt half buckled, and realised, "The possession magic isn't hers." 

_'Then we are facing two powerful Sorceresses in the body of a third. This is getting dangerous,'_ Shiva murmured. 

_'Call Bahamut or myself next time. We'll just eat her,'_ Leviathan suggested. 

"No one is eating Matron," Squall hissed, rolling his eyes. "Now, shut up so Seifer will sleep." 

The GFs all fell silent, leaving Squall to finish doing up his belt and hunt down the correct cabin in silence. The door opened at a swipe of his SeeD card, and Squall silently blessed Quistis's thoroughness in ensuring the rest of the team – or, at the least, Squall – could get inside of the additional room. The lights were all off, but the soft glow of Tonberry's lantern at Squall's hip cast more than enough light for him to spot the two women. 

It was a normal cabin, meant for small groups, rather than SeeD teams, so there were two benches facing each other, with just enough foot space between them for two people to stand next to each other comfortably. Selphie was stretched out across one bench, dead to the world, a blanket draped loosely over her lower half. Quistis was curled up on the other bench, half reclined against the wall in a position that Squall recognised from late nights in the library when she'd been studying for her SeeD exam. Her eyes were open, but it was clear she'd just woken. 

"It's just me, Quisty," Squall murmured as he let the door slide shut behind him. "Seifer told me you were down here, so I thought I'd check in." 

Quistis let out a tired hum and closed her eyes. "We're fine." She shifted in her spot and rubbed a bared shoulder, as though cold. "How's your leg?" 

Squall took a quick glance around the cabin and, upon seeing no sign of a second blanket, shrugged out of his jacket and stepped forward to drape it over her. "It's fine. Thank you for healing it." 

Quistis hummed again and tugged on his jacket to reposition it. Squall was just pulling the blanket on Selphie up to cover her more fully when Quistis murmured, " 'S no wonder you've always been so good with magic." 

Squall swallowed down a wave of terror and whispered back, "Go back to sleep, Quisty. I'll watch our backs." 

She hummed an agreement and fell still, finally going back to sleep. 

Squall stepped quietly back out into the hallway and stood there for a moment, fingers clenched tight around his lion's head as he tried to convince his racing heart that it was safe. 

When he felt calm enough, he stepped back out to the pass-through and stopped there, balanced with one foot on either side of the connection between the cars. His Quake magic spread out over both cars, keeping an eye on his napping team, and he leaned forward against the railing intended to keep people from falling to their deaths on the tracks below, settling himself with the intention of staying there for a while. 

-0-

Squall got stuck with Seifer and Irvine on the drive from Balamb Town to Garden. It was sort of the only option, between Seifer's refusal to drive in a car without Squall, the knowledge that putting Zell and Seifer in the same car would only end in a black eye, and the simple fact the Squall was pretty sure he was best served by letting the two women gang up on Irvine when he turned on the charm. But, still, he'd known it wasn't going to be a fun trip even before Irvine had barely waited until Squall had driven through Balamb Town's gate before he said, "So, you're a Sorcerer." 

Squall gritted his teeth. 

"Leave him alone before we crash, Kinneas," Seifer ordered from the front passenger seat, him having called shotgun in Squall's car before the train had even stopped. 

Irvine kicked the back of Seifer's seat. "Oh, go rot, Seifer. Not all of us have had access to Squall for years." He paused, putting on a considering look, and Squall wondered if he wouldn't have been better off sticking Zell and Seifer together. "Then again, that also means _some_ of us didn't have the chance to _abandon_ Squally, either." 

"I will stop this car and kick you both out if I become the focus of a pissing match," Squall snarled. "Yes, Irvine, I'm a sorcerer, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread it ar–"

_'Sorceress!'_ Diablos shouted in his head, and Squall hit the brake so he could focus on the panicked note in his GF's voice. _'She's sending missiles towards both Gardens not under her control. We have no way to stop them.'_

"Sweet Hyne," Seifer breathed, horror pulsing at the back of Squall's mind. 

Squall quickly unbuckled and shoved his door open, needing to get out of the car. He could probably protect Balamb, but there was no way he could save Trabia; he couldn't be in two places at once. 

_'Send me,'_ Bahamut ordered. _'Recall Diablos and send me.'_

The other car pulled up next to Squall and the others leaned out of their open windows, concerned. "Squall?" Zell called. 

Warm hands gripped Squall's shoulders and he looked back to see Seifer standing there, eyes hard. "You need to send someone with him, to explain what's going on," he pointed out. 

Squall gave a sharp nod, even as he felt Diablos returning to his mind. "Selphie, Quistis, I need you two to go with Bahamut to Trabia," he ordered, the dragon GF appearing next to them as he said his name. 

"Holy _shit_ ," Zell spat, while the others jerked back in surprise and Seifer's fingers tightened around his shoulders, and Squall recalled that no one there had ever seen the dragon before. (Most of them had never seen him summon any of his GFs before, actually, since he rarely called on them.) 

Quistis stepped carefully from her car. "Squall, what's going on?" 

Squall shook his head. "I sent some of my GFs to keep an eye on Matron, so I could find her again. I just heard back; they're firing missiles at Trabia and Balamb." Selphie let out a whimper, while the other three's eyes went wide. "Bahamut can protect Trabia Garden, but he needs someone with him to explain what's happening. Selph, you know the school the best; Quisty, you have seniority." 

"I'm totally there!" Selphie declared, stumbling out of the car and hurrying towards Bahamut, only to stop in front of him uncertainly. 

"And Balamb?" Quistis asked, meeting Squall's eyes. 

"Do you trust me?" Squall replied. 

Quistis paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes." 

"Then I need you in Trabia." 

"Trepe, the longer we stand here, the more likely it is that one or both of the Gardens will suffer," Seifer pointed out, tone unforgiving. "Get on the asshole dragon so we can get moving." 

Quistis shook herself and hurried over towards where Bahamut was politely lowering his head for the two women, rather than forcing them to climb into his claws, as Squall would have done. 

"Quickly, please," Squall told his GF. _I promised I'd never be too slow again._

Seifer's hands tightened on Squall's shoulders even as Bahamut jumped into the air with a roar of, _"Trust me!"_

Squall reached up and touched one of Seifer's hands. "I can't drive right now," he admitted quietly. 

Seifer squeezed his shoulders before stepping away. "I've got it," he promised. "Kinneas, you and Chicken-wuss figure out who's driving that other car and get to it." 

"Go straight in and report to Uncle Cid," Squall added as he forced himself to walk towards the passenger side of his original car. "Tell him I'll manage the missiles; he'll understand." 

"We're on it," Zell promised as Irvine hurried around to the opened driver's door of the other car. 

Irvine sped out ahead, kicking up a cloud of dust as he fairly flew down the road towards Garden. Seifer followed at a more reasonable speed, pulling off not long after Garden had come into view and turning them towards the west before he turned off the motor. 

"Waiting is the absolute worst," Seifer complained, leaning forward against the steering wheel. 

Squall closed his eyes and forced himself to relax, trying to rest so he could manage the impossible spell without endangering Bahamut or Tonberry's integrity; he would much rather cast an unnecessarily strong spell than one that was too weak. 

A warm hand settled against the back of his neck, thumb rubbing over the short hairs there. Squall let himself relax into the touch, inexplicably soothed by the contact of his knight; just as Seifer was able to ease his magic by his mere presence, it seemed he could calm Squall with a touch. 

An indeterminable time later, Seifer called, "Squall," and he pulled himself from the doze he'd fallen into. 

Leaning forward across the dashboard, Squall saw the glint of light on metal high in the sky at a distance, and he shoved his door open to get out. 

Seifer got out himself and stepped forward to join Squall as he walked forward, stopping just in front of the bonnet. "Do you have any magic?" Squall asked as Seifer stopped next to him. 

"Nothing useful." Seifer snorted. "You know I'm hopeless with magic, Squally." 

"You manage fire magic fine," Squall replied before filling one hand with his entire stock of Firagas. "In case I miss," he explained, handing them back. 

"What, no Ultimas?" Seifer teased as he took the magic. 

Squall glanced back at him. "I've never used Ultima para-magic in my life," he admitted, smiling at the way Seifer's eyes widened in realisation. 

When he looked back up at the approaching missiles, he could finally make out what they were, and how many. "In case anyone was uncertain how much she hates SeeD," he murmured. "Bahamut, we have twelve incoming." 

_'Only eight, here,'_ Bahamut replied with humour. 

"Is he _enjoying_ this?" Seifer muttered. 

Squall reached deep into his magic for his first impossible spell and felt himself smiling at how gleefully his magic responded, ever eager to destroy things. He pointed a hand towards the incoming danger and whispered, " **Apocalypse**."

Rune-marked circles lit up on the ground around him and Seifer before mirroring in the sky, lighting the missiles in a rainbow of colour. Beams of white light shot from the circles, gathering at one central point, which almost seemed to vanish against the sky for a moment, before it suddenly exploded outwards with enough force to push the nearest trees backwards and make the car behind Squall and Seifer let out a warning groan. 

More explosions followed, lighting the sky with the proof of their continued survival as the missiles each detonated. "Holy fuck, Squally," Seifer breathed, awe dripping from his words and pulsing against the back of Squall's mind. 

Squall, for his part, didn't fight a laugh; the spell that had once terrified him didn't seem anywhere near so horrible against the lives he'd just used it to save and Seifer's approval, warm at the back of his mind. 

-0-

.


	8. I Will Be With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is up ridiculously early because I'm going to be out and without internet until super late, and I decided it was better to post this chapter super early, than it would be to post it super late. XD

Bahamut reported his missiles taken care of after Squall and Seifer were back in the car. _'I will leave Selphie and Quistis at this Garden, then return,'_ he said. 

"No," Squall murmured, watching but not really seeing Garden fill the windscreen as Seifer drove them in. "I can continue to support you there; given the state of things, I'd much prefer to have a line of communication open between Balamb and Trabia." 

_'I will exhaust you unnecessarily,'_ Bahamut insisted. _'Quezacotl or Diablos would be the better option.'_

_'By the time we got there, it may well be too late to matter,'_ Quezacotl pointed out. 

"And I'm not sure I can support three of you at once," Squall admitted tiredly. Tonberry let out a quiet sound of sorrow and he shook his head with a smile. "No, I need someone there, and you're the least likely to call attention to yourself." 

"Better to have Bahamut where he can easily lend a claw if Trabia faces more trouble, anyway," Seifer pointed out as they entered the car park. "If Galbadia sends more missiles, he'll have to go back out there again. Unless Diablos could stop them?" 

_'Not as decisively,'_ Diablos replied. 

"If it becomes a problem, we'll revisit the issue," Squall decided. "For now, Bahamut, stay with Quisty and Selph." 

_'As you say, Sorcerer,'_ Bahamut agreed before ordering, _'Do not let him exhaust himself, Knight. His health is more important than my continued presence.'_

"That's not–" Squall started. 

"Shut up, Squally," Seifer ordered before getting out of the car. 

Squall huffed and got out himself, irritated more because he knew nothing he could say was going to win Seifer to his side, than anything else. 

Cid was waiting for them in the central hub, a robed faculty member hovering imposingly at his shoulder. Zell and Irvine were standing off to one side, Heartilly next to Zell. 

"Rinoa?" Seifer called, surprise tickling the back of Squall's mind. "What the hell are you doing in Balamb?" 

Heartilly straightened. "I'm a client of SeeD. What are _you_ doing here?" 

"He's one of our SeeDs," Cid declared as he stepped forward. When Squall raised an eyebrow at him – caught between Seifer's wave of disbelief and his own amusement at the way Cid disregarded his own rules about things like due process when it suited his purposes – the headmaster smiled and added, "It's good to have you home, Seifer." 

Seifer shifted at Squall's side and drily remarked, "I'm sure you're one of the few who will say so, sir." 

Cid chuckled. "True enough; let it never be said you lack for enemies." He focussed on Squall, then, while Seifer let out a laugh that came dangerously close to being a cackle. "Trabia?" 

"Safe, for the moment," Squall reported, nodding to Zell and Irvine when he saw them relaxing. "Bahamut is going to remain there, so we should know immediately if there's any trouble." He sighed and rubbed at his forehead, only to be distracted by the unfamiliar scar passing between his eyes. He knew he'd received it from Seifer, but there was something about it, something important about the shape and placement. 

"Given how much she wants Squall dead, I expect we'll be hearing from her before Trabia will," Seifer commented, gently squeezing Squall's shoulder. 

Cid nodded. "And Edea?" he asked, and it was only because Squall knew him so well than he heard the faint note of pleading in the headmaster's voice. 

He shook his head regretfully. "If there's anything of her left, I didn't see it." He pulled away from Seifer and awkwardly touched Cid's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Uncle Cid." 

Cid forced a smile. "She's strong. I'm sure she's just biding her time." 

Squall stared at him for a moment, recognising the plea for hope and wondering if it wouldn't be kinder to crush him now. 

_'Be kind,'_ Shiva suggested. _'If not for Cid, then for Edea; everyone deserves to have someone believe in them, no matter what.'_

He pulled on a smile, made it as honest as he could, and agreed, "All we need to do is give her a little opening so she can overpower that sorceress, I'm sure." 

"No way can she be weak," Seifer agreed in that tone that meant he was trying to start a fight. "I mean, she _did_ raise Leonhart." 

"I think it's more impressive she kept from strangling _you_ ," Zell snapped. 

"Got something to say, Chicken-wuss?" 

Squall sighed and focussed on Cid again as the familiar argumentative tones flowed around him. "Where's Sis? I'd have expected her to be here." 

"I sent her and the cadets down to the basement, in hopes that they'd survive if something went wrong." 

Squall raised both eyebrows at that. "You sent her to _NORG_? Was that wise?" Squall had never had occasion to meet Balamb Garden's financial backer, but he'd heard enough about the Shumi from Matron to know giving him access to Elle, hunted as she was for whatever reason, was in no one's best interest. 

Cid winced. "It was the best choice I had. And she knows to keep her head down." 

Squall had to agree with that; she got a little careless sometimes, when she was with people she trusted, but no one knew how much danger she was in better than Elle herself. Still, "It should be safe to let everyone back up." 

Cid turned to the faculty member and nodded. "Let them up." He turned back to Squall as the faculty stalked off with a huff. "Why don't you get Seifer and Irvine installed in the guest wing and put your things away, then I'd like the four of you–" he glanced over towards Zell and Irvine, including them "–to come up to my office and report. If Elle's joined you by then, she's welcome." 

"Yes, sir," Squall replied as he snapped off a salute. Cid waved him off with a resigned smile, so Squall jerked his head towards the dorm hall and led the way, feeling the others fall in behind him quickly. 

Heartilly had followed along, and she jogged to catch up with where Seifer was walking just behind Squall. "I thought you _quit_ Garden," she complained, sounding petulant. 

"I did," Seifer agreed carelessly. "But Squally just missed me so much–"

Squall glanced back over his shoulder and offered the blond a smile that he knew from experience would let Seifer know, on no uncertain terms, that he was treading a thin line. "What was that, Almasy? You'd like some private tutoring in ice magic?" 

"Deploy the handbrake and put that car in reverse, Seifer," Irvine suggested jokingly, earning a strangled laugh from Zell as the martial artist broke off for his SeeD dorm. 

"Did I _ask_ for your advice, Kinneas?" Seifer snapped back. 

Squall ignored their bickering while he led the way up to the guest hall, but once they were standing outside his and Elle's shared room, he ordered, " **Stop** ," and his magic helpfully froze them both in place. He dropped his bag in front of his door, then stepped forward to frisk both Seifer and Irvine's pockets for their cadet IDs, ignoring Heartilly's confused, "What is going on?" he used them, in conjunction with his own SeeD ID, to give them each a room on opposite sides of the hall, then slipped the cards back away where he'd found them. 

An absent Esuna later had them both glaring at him and he shot them a sharp smile and pointed at either end of the hall as he ordered, "Irvine, that corner. Seifer, that corner." 

"That was a scarily good Matron impression," Irvine told him, tone a cross between irritated and impressed, as he turned towards his assigned room. 

Seifer just gave him a considering look before making for his own room in silence. 

Squall turned his stare, smile vanishing, on Heartilly next. "I expect you have something more interesting to be doing than following my team and I around, Miss Heartilly. Why don't you see to it?" 

"And if I don't?" Heartilly challenged. 

Squall tilted his head to one side. "To clarify, that wasn't a suggestion." Then he turned and picked up his bag with one hand while swiping his ID to open his own door with the other. 

It was, admittedly, calming to be back among the familiar piles of books that Elle left all over their shared common area. He snagged one as he strode across the floor to his room, eyebrows raising when he saw it was something of a how-to guide on self-defence for those who didn't have any training. He had just dropped his bag and was about to flip the book open when the room door opened and Seifer stepped in, a curious look on his face. 

"My card worked," Seifer said in his defence, holding up his cadet ID. 

Squall snorted and opened the book. "I wouldn't be surprised to find that Sis added you to the permissions while I was still in my coma." 

Seifer shoved his ID away, expression darkening. "Is there anyone who _didn't_ know I was your Knight, Leonhart?" 

"Before or after you left and no one could touch me?" Squall returned absently, most of his attention on the book. It wasn't a terrible resource, but if Elle was serious about learning some self-defence, she was going to need a trainer of some form. 

_'The Sorceress's magic responded to you leaving while he was under attack, by attacking anyone who tried touching him,'_ Quezacotl explained, apparently as capable of reading the bubble of Seifer's emotions at the back of Squall's mind as he was. 

"Fucking shit," Seifer spat, falling into the couch that Squall often found Elle dragging him down into. "Is there anything I _didn't_ fuck up by leaving last year?" 

Squall considered that for a moment, then shrugged. "Matron getting possessed had nothing to do with you leaving." 

"Thank you for that, Squally." 

Squall shrugged again, but was saved from further answering by the door opening again, this time to admit Elle. "Welcome home!" she called and Squall offered her a grateful smile, even as she spotted Seifer. Her eyes went wide and she shouted, "Seifer!" before dashing around the couch and crashing into him for a hug just after he'd made it to his feet, sending them both back onto the couch in a heap. 

Squall let out a startled laugh and quickly turned away, holding a hand over his mouth to hide his amusement. 

"I'm pretty sure you just broke Squall," Seifer commented, obviously amused. 

"He needed it," Elle declared before there was the sound of something falling back onto the couch. Squall glanced over his shoulder to see that she'd sat back against the side opposite from where Seifer was still sprawled. "Anyway, it's good to have you home, Seifer." Elle dropped her head back against the arm of the couch so she could look at Squall upside down. "Does this mean I need to give up my room?" 

Seifer perked up, but Squall shot him an irritated look and asked, "After how many years it took us to get a room together? Seifer's across the hall; that's close enough." 

"And when I have to return to Alexander?" Elle pressed. 

"One life crisis at a time, Elle," Seifer insisted as he pushed himself to his feet. "For now, we need to collect Kinneas and Chicken–"

"Seifer," Elle said, disapproving. 

"–Wuss and head up to give Headmaster Cid our report. Well, report _s_ , plural. Which reminds me, Squally." Seifer pinned Squall with an uncommonly serious look. "What did that one GF mean, when she said you and the Sorceress possessing Matron share magic?" 

"Pandemona," Squall corrected as he set the self-defence book down on the nearest stack. "When she attacked me, I saw a physical representation of her form in my mind; she's the sorceress I got my powers from when I was five." He grimaced. "Hard to forget her, even without the battle wounds." He touched the new scar on his forehead a bit absently, only to freeze as he realised where he'd seen it before. 

Squall pushed off his doorway and strode into the bathroom he shared with Elle, flipping on the light as he went. In the mirror, he found himself staring at the man who'd appeared with the sorceress. "Fuck," he breathed, staring at his own wide eyes. 

Seifer stepped up behind him, then, one eyebrow raised sardonically, even as concern pressed warmly against the back of Squall's mind. "I'm sure Kadowaki has a way to get rid of that scar, if you really hate it that much, Leonhart." 

Squall met Seifer's eyes in the mirror. "When the sorceress appeared, when we were kids, there was a man with her." He touched his new scar. "He had this same scar." 

Seifer's other eyebrow joined the first, expression bleeding from sardonic to impressed. "Can you do that? Travel back to your childhood?" 

Squall let out a tired laugh. "Seifer, I don't know half the things I can do. My magic likes to create new spells just because it can. Fuck, it made a healing spell for you, even though I can't cast life magic without para-magic." 

Seifer settled his hands on Squall's shoulders, squeezing them in an attempt at comfort. "You know what this tells me, Squally?" he asked, mouth smoothing out to an easy smile. 

"That my magic likes you?" Squall bit out. 

Seifer's eyes glinted. "That too. But, no." He squeezed Squall's shoulders again. "We're going to kill this bitch." 

Squall closed his eyes, touching his necklace. "But at what cost?" he whispered, and his voice sounded hollow. As tired as a child version had once thought an adult version of him looked. 

A knock came at the main door to the suite as Seifer admitted, "I don't know." 

"Not you," Squall heard himself say, his magic forcing the words out, furious at the very thought. "Don't you fucking _dare_ leave me again, Almasy." 

"Irvy!" Elle called out in the common area, clearly having gone to answer the door. 

Seifer gave up all pretence and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Squall and meeting his cold stare in the mirror. "I swear," he promised. "There's not a fucking thing in this world that could make me leave your side again, Squall." He snorted as Squall relaxed, soothed by the promise. "Well, except your hard-headedness about sharing a dorm." 

Squall attempted to pull out of Seifer's hold, but when the knight wouldn't let him go, he settled for pointing a finger at the blond's reflection. "I am not giving up Sis. Not a chance." 

"You realise you have a complex, right?" 

Squall snorted. "You realise I'm completely okay with that." Seifer laughed. "We're expected in Uncle Cid's office." 

Seifer obediently let go and Squall led the way back out into the main room of the suite, where they found Irvine and Zell waiting with Elle. 

"Every reason I can think of for two guys being in the bathroom together–" Irvine started. 

"Kinneas, do yourself a favour and keep your thoughts to yourself," Seifer ordered. 

Irvine offered a lazy smile. "Now, why would I want to do a thing like that?" 

"Because I'm telling you to," Squall informed him drily, stopping next to Elle. "We're headed for Uncle Cid's office to debrief. You're welcome to join us." 

"I'd like that," Elle agreed, linking their arms together. "Squall?" she said as they started through the hall, the other three falling in behind them. 

"Sis?" 

"Why are you carrying around Tonberry's lantern?" 

"Is that what that is?" Irvine whispered behind them. 

"Keep up, Kinneas," Seifer returned. 

Squall rolled his eyes. "He gave it to me when I sent him to keep an eye on Matron," he explained to Elle. "He knew he'd have to sneak around a bit, and the lantern would give him away." 

"And we know he's safe so long as you've got it," Elle said knowingly. 

Squall eyed her, amused. "I don't need a lantern to know that." 

"I said _we_ ," Elle retorted, swatting his arm. "As in, those of us without a direct connection to your GFs." 

"Not everyone has little voices in their heads, Squally," Seifer agreed mockingly. 

Squall snorted, far less bothered by Seifer's long-time joke when he knew the knight was just as capable of hearing his GFs as Squall was. 

They had just got into the lift and hit the button for the top floor when Tonberry let out a hurried rush of squeaks. Squall felt himself tense, his GF chattering too quickly for him to catch anything more than panic. 

"Translation?" Seifer requested rubbing at his forehead. 

The humans in the lift all shot him confused looks, even as Quezacotl obediently explained, _'Tonberry says Galbadia Garden can fly. They're having trouble with the controls, but they're heading to Balamb once they've sorted everything out.'_

"Shit," Seifer whispered, catching Squall's eyes. 

"Bahamut," Squall started as the lift doors opened and he started out, steps hurried. 

_'I am going to warn them, now,'_ the dragon promised. 

"Tonberry, see if you can find a way to delay them," Squall ordered, moving on to the next difficulty. "Try and keep out of view, but if you can give us an extra day by getting seen, do it." 

Tonberry squeaked an affirmative. 

Squall met Cid's startled gaze as he stopped in front of the man's desk, feeling the others come in behind him. "Galbadia Garden is mobile," he reported and heard the sharp gasp of multiple people realising what had just occurred from behind him. "They're suffering some technical difficulty right now, but once they've got it sorted, they're coming here." 

Cid slumped tiredly against his desk. "I was afraid this would happen," he admitted. 

"You _knew_?!" Seifer shouted, coming up to stand at Squall's shoulder, a solid presence that went a long way towards soothing the churning of magic and anger and fear mixing up inside of Squall. "We should have been fucking _evacuating_ , not settling in!" 

Cid winced and looked at Squall, apparently finding his hard stare less discouraging than the fury no doubt painting his knight's face. "All of the Gardens can move," he explained and Squall felt his eyes widen. "We repurposed the old shelters the Centran people used to escape the Lunar Cry." 

"No wonder they're having technical difficulties," Zell offered with a helpless little laugh. 

"This is no–" Seifer started before Squall reached back and grabbed his coat. 

"If we can move, we need to get off the ground," Squall said quietly, watching Cid. "We're going to have the same troubles that Galbadia is having, and the sooner we get started on figuring out what we're working with, the more likely we'll be to survive this." 

Cid took a deep breath and nodded, then pulled a card from his pocket. "All I know is that the controls are in the MD levels, far below the basement." He held the card out to Squall. "This will take the lift down there." 

Squall nodded as he took it. "We'll handle it. I need you to find any cadets or SeeDs specialising in technology or studied in Centran text and have them ready for us to take down to the controls once we've found them." 

"Anyone from Galbadia," Irvine suggested. 

Squall glanced back to look at him, one eyebrow cocked. "Volunteering yourself, Irvine?" 

Irvine offered a helpless smile and shrugged. "I can certainly give it a glance, but I specialise in weaponised technology, rather than transportation. All those turning wheels just give me a headache." 

"Imagine that," Seifer muttered, quiet enough that the sharpshooter wouldn't have heard. 

Squall considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Irvine, you have a better idea of what sort of help we'd need; go around and see about finding those who know how to manage this sort of technology." 

Irvine shot off a salute. "You got it, Squall." 

"Sis, go with him and see if you can't find those who have more than a passing knowledge of the Centran language. Stop by the library, see who might have checked out any books on the subject." 

Elle smiled at him, clearly glad to be of use. 

"Zell," Squall continued, turning to the martial artist, "take the fastest car in the car park and get down to Balamb. Collect anyone who might be able to help that you can find who's willing to come back up to Garden. And spread the word that Galbadia Garden's probably going to be coming through here and they'd be best served keeping their heads down." 

"Should I tell them to evacuate?" Zell asked, expression troubled. 

"Tell them to hold off, for now," Seifer suggested. "We can sort out evacuation procedures once we know what we're working with and how many cadets will need to be offloaded for their safety. If they need incentive, tell them we'll use our own ships to help with the evacuation; those'll stand up far better than most of the fishing boats in dock, and we can track them down once it's safe for them to come back." 

Zell looked surprised for a moment before he gave a sharp nod. "I'll do that," he agreed, with none of the usual irritation that coloured his voice when he spoke to Seifer. 

Squall nodded and looked back towards Cid. "Seifer and I will go find these controls. Can you organise everything up here? See about getting those cadets that should be evacuated prepared to offload as soon as necessary." 

Cid straightened. "I'll take care of things." 

They left Cid to organise things from his office and all piled back into the lift. Elle, Irvine, and Zell all got off on the ground floor, leaving Squall and Seifer to continue down to the MD levels. 

The lift jerked to a stop between floors at one point, and Squall let out an irritated sound before casting out with his Quake magic to figure out what the problem was. When he found it, he let out a quiet, "Oh. Well, shit." 

"Squall?" Seifer requested, voice dry. 

"The track the lift runs through is rusted through down here," Squall explained evenly. "We're caught on a piece of the track that broke, right now, but it's not going to hold out for long." 

Seifer raised his fist like he wanted to punch the lift walls, but then thought better of it. "Fucking Hyne." He took a deep breath, the sense of him at the back of Squall's mind taking on a feeling of forced calm. "What can you do?" 

"I can't promise this will work," Squall warned as he closed his eyes and focussed on his Quake magic. He knew he could manipulate metal, to an extent, and strengthen it, but he'd never dealt with this level of damage before. Indeed, the last time he'd tried fixing rusted metal, as a child on Alexander, he hadn't managed anything. 

Warm arms wrapped around his middle, steadying him. "Give it a shot," Seifer suggested, voice gentle against Squall's ear. 

Squall resisted the strange urge to shiver and pushed his magic to do what had once seemed impossible; after all, didn't his magic like proving the impossible possible on a daily basis? 

Slowly, the lift started moving again, the track repairing itself ahead of them at a steady pace, until they stopped at the lowest level and the doors popped open with a cheerful little 'ding'. 

It was only a short walk from where the lift had opened to the strange pile of machinery with a control panel sitting in front of it. 

"Well," Seifer said, staring up at the pile of unfamiliar technology, "the Centrans were certainly good at making an impression." 

Squall snorted and leaned towards his knight, tired from the strain of keeping them alive, not to mention the rest of the magic he'd done that day. 

Seifer easily picked him up, same as when they'd escaped Dollet. "Let's set you up for a nap like a good Sorcerer, so I can focus on things other than making sure you don't fall over." 

"Put. Me. Down," Squall ordered, even as he closed his eyes and let his head rest on Seifer's shoulder. 

"Yeah, you're not fooling anyone, Squally." The lift dinged again and Seifer moved forward, into the enclosed space. "Can you trust me to keep Garden in one piece for eight hours?" 

"Six," Squall argued. 

"Eight. You're supporting two GFs." 

Squall let out an irritated huff, but he had to admit that Seifer had a point; they needed Bahamut and Tonberry far more than he needed to be awake while Garden sorted itself out. 

"I promise I'll wake you the moment something happens, for good or ill," Seifer offered. 

"Fine," Squall agreed. "Eight." 

Seifer chuckled, the sound warm and comforting in a way that Squall had never noticed before, and he let himself drift off. 

-0-

It was Elle who came to wake him, in the end, looking somewhere between excited and frazzled. "Seifer sent me," she told him as he rubbed at his face and checked his connection to Bahamut and Tonberry; they were fine, and Bahamut was in a surprisingly good mood, approving of Squall's forced nap. 

"Where are we with getting Garden moving?" he asked as he followed her out into the common area, shrugging into his jacket one-handed, while he held Sheer Trigger with the other to strap on out in the hallway, while they were walking. 

"You'll see," she promised, and would say nothing further as they walked through the unexpected tunnel between the dorms and the rest of Garden. She led him up to the first floor emergency exit, which, it turned out, was no longer quite such a thing. 

"See what happens when you trust me?" Seifer teased as Squall came to join him at the safety wall, staring down at the darkened water beneath them; he'd slept through sunset. "I do things like make Garden _fly_."

"Technically," Irvine wasted no time in correcting, "she's _sailing_."

Squall rolled his eyes. "To where are we headed?" 

"We wanted to call a vote, but you were missing," Cid offered, eyes sparkling in a way that they hadn't since before Squall had fallen into his coma. "Seifer insisted you weren't to be woken for anything less than mortal peril until he said you'd slept enough." 

"Got a bit of a big head," Zell muttered, shooting Seifer a look that was unfamiliar only because it lacked about half the venom Squall was used to seeing; clearly, his troublesome knight had won some points by offering the townspeople use of SeeD ships. 

Squall eyed the safety wall for a moment before shrugging and hopping back onto it, an easy twitch of his hand knocking Sheer Trigger safely out of the way. When he felt a steadying hand against his back, he gave Seifer an irritated look and asked, "And which of us grew up on a moving vehicle?" 

"By all accounts, both of us," Seifer replied easily, patting the safety wall. Before Squall could rejoin, he added, "Alexander is hardly Garden, Squally." 

"How would you know what Alexander is or isn't?" Squall asked drily. "You've never even seen her." 

"We have three options," Cid interrupted. "We can head down to Fisherman’s Horizon and see if they can't further our familiarity with Garden's systems – they were the ones who converted the old shelters – we can attempt to find Alexander or one of her scout ships, or we can to Trabia and see about joining with our sister and helping them get their systems up, if they haven't already." 

Bahamut hadn't mentioned anything about Trabia being on the move, so Squall assumed they were still shoved in the ground for whatever reason. "FH wouldn't be pleased if we come through with a Garden. Best to find a scout ship and send them in our name, either for contractors to board us, or permission to dock there," he pointed out before shrugging. "I seem to recall at least one scout ship running the route between Balamb and the Hawkind Plains, and another northeast of the Tollet Peninsula. 

"Bahamut," he called, refocussing his attention, "fly up and see if you can spot any scout ships near Trabia." 

_'Do you want me to approach it?'_ Bahamut asked after a moment, clearly having spotted one. 

"No. Where is it?" 

_'To the northeast.'_

Squall glanced over towards Seifer, unable to help the way he automatically found himself turning to his knight the way he'd so often looked to his GFs for their opinion in the past. "Most of them know Bahamut, but I can't see him showing up in the middle of the night doing them any good." 

Seifer shrugged. "I don't expect it's likely they'd know anyone at Trabia?" 

Squall shook his head. "No. Balamb was the only Garden we ever had any contact with." He glanced towards Cid. "Though, that might not hold true for the scouts." 

Cid shrugged. "I left the activities of his people for Captain Owens to manage. I would expect they've have some contact with Trabian villages, for trading purposes, but I can't say what relationship they might have had with Trabia Garden. Angelica certainly knows they're out there, of course..." 

"What are you thinking?" Squall asked of his knight, recognising the way Seifer was stroking the sleeve of his coat. 

"May I?" 

Squall blinked, confused for a moment before he realised Seifer was asking him permission to give Bahamut an order. He couldn't promise that the dragon would be agreeable, but, then, Bahamut was in a good mood after Squall's forced nap, so perhaps he'd be willing to follow the knight's orders. "Please." 

"Bahamut, best to wait until morning either way, but check with Trabia, see if they have anyone known to that ship. If so, fly them out there, if not, take Trepe. I assume we're headed to Trabia ourselves?" He looked at Squall, who shrugged and nodded before glancing around at the others to catch their agreeable nods, that being the most viable course of action at this point. "Tell the scout ship to find Alexander. Tell them we're headed for Trabia, then...Fisherman's Horizon?" 

"Might as well. We'll send our own scout ship ahead if we find one, to warn FH." He looked towards Cid. "Do you have the authority to declare a SeeD Emergency for the Alexander's crew?" 

"The what now?" Zell asked. 

"I don't," Cid admitted, "but you do." 

Squall blinked and looked first to Seifer, then Elle for an explanation. When none was forthcoming, he looked back at Cid. "No, I don't." 

Cid levelled a serious look on him. "Indeed you do, Commander Leonhart." 

Squall pushed himself forward, back onto the balcony, before he could chance falling over backwards, trapped somewhere between shock and disbelief. "Excuse me?" 

" _Commander_?" Zell repeated, and Squall couldn't help but wonder if the martial artist understood the significance of the yet-unheld title. Irvine clearly did, by his widened eyes, and the mix of shock and pride at the back of Squall's mind told him Seifer did, as well. 

"You cannot refuse, Squall," Cid told him. "Captain Owens and I have already agreed that you are best suited, having lived both on Alexander and in Garden. I'm no war leader, and he can't manage ground troops, not when none of them know him; you're it." 

Squall stared at the headmaster for a rattle of too-quick heartbeats, before bursting out, "You can't name a _sorcerer_ the leader of all of SeeD, Uncle Cid!" Zell drew in a sharp breath, clearly the last to know, but Squall barrelled on, "Never mind the simple fact that most of Beau's people fear me, what happens if I go mad? You really expect–"

"You won't go mad," Seifer cut in, voice sharp. "Your GFs and I won't let you." 

Squall turned on his knight, anger and disbelief and something not unlike fear churning in his gut. "You know my magic, Almasy! You really think it's going to give a damn what you or the others say?" 

Seifer stepped in close, pushing Squall back against the drop to ocean water beneath them. "I do. Because unlike some Sorcerers I know, your magic actually _listens to me_."

_'It is your choice, Sorceress,'_ Shiva reminded him, but the words he used to speak to himself every morning as a comfort felt almost cold, now. 

Seifer caught his hand in Squall's necklace and held it up between them, the familiar lion's head glinting as it caught the light from the lantern at Squall's hip. "What would Gee want?" he asked, and the name was unfamiliar on his tongue, like one he'd always known, but never found the place to speak. 

"How did you–?"

"I overheard you, that first spring," Seifer bit out, eyes shying away, uncomfortable. 

And, like that, it made sense to Squall, the way Seifer would pick on anything _but_ his love of lions, the way he'd shut other people up when they asked about it. He couldn't have known the whole story, but he knew enough, and he'd been trying to protect Squall ever since, in his way. 

And, oh, wasn't it just like Seifer to latch on to the one person in Squall's life who who had, perhaps, the greatest cause to fear him for his magic, and yet had trusted him wholly. So much so, that she had run to her death, expecting protection that came too late. And, when Squall had lost himself, so beside himself with grief that he hadn't wanted to keep on, had it not been Seifer who brought him back to the world? 

Squall reached up and wrapped his hand around Seifer's, holding Virgie's memory between them. "You'll be there?" he whispered, just between them. 

"I swear," Seifer whispered back, recalling earlier in the bathroom. 

Squall held the green stare, familiar in so many ways, and said, "Bahamut." 

_'Sorcerer?'_

"When you pass on our orders to the scout ship, tell them SeeD Commander Leonhart authorises use of their emergency engines. We're at war, and time is of the essence." 

"If they're difficult?" Elle called, reminding Squall that he and Seifer weren't, in fact, alone. 

He pushed at Seifer, earning him a cocky smirk as the blond obediently backed up, the necklace falling back against Squall's chest. "Then I'll court martial their asses off the fucking plank. I don't give a flying fuck about their issues with me, we are at war with a sorceress who wants us _all_ dead, and they will obey an order from their superior officer, no matter what I may be." 

"Ah," Seifer breathed, eyes glinting, " _there's_ the Leonhart we all love to hate." 

Squall pinned him with an unimpressed look that had exactly zero effect, then turned to Zell, eyes hardening. "I'm a sorcerer, have been since we were kids. You got a problem with that, you keep it between us. Understood?" 

Zell shifted uncomfortably. "Squall, man, you're my friend. I already knew you were a magic whiz; now I know why. But that doesn't change things, not between us. I mean, you know, I still like you way more than Seifer." 

"Touching, Chicken-wuss." 

Squall rolled his eyes at the two blonds and turned to the headmaster. "Uncle Cid, we need to put Garden on the correct course, and then you need to show me the most recent files on both the Garden-based SeeDs and whatever you have on the Alexander's crew. I want to know who's in Balamb right now, who might be in Trabia, and if there's a chance that anyone might have their fingers in Galbadia." 

"Of course," Cid agreed, motioning for Squall to follow him back into Garden. 

"Get some food in there somewhere, Leonhart!" Seifer shouted after them before the emergency door clicked shut between them. 

"I can have something delivered up from the kitchens," Cid suggested, "assuming there's not already something for the bridge evening shift." 

"As long as it's not hot dogs," Squall muttered before telling his GFs, "Tell him that he and the others need to head for bed. And he knows I'll know if he decides to skip out on sleep." 

His GFs laughed in his head and Squall heard Diablos relaying his message, even as Cid asked, "Squall?" 

Squall touched his head. "Seifer can hear them, too." 

Cid beamed. "That's quite helpful indeed." He let out a sad sigh, shoulders drooping. "If only Edea and I had thought to use such, I might have at least known something was wrong." 

Squall grimaced and nodded. 

_'Your asshole says not to waste your magic, he's going to bed,'_ Diablos reported as Squall and Cid got into the lift. 

"Why is he _my_ asshole?" Squall complained. 

_'Who else's would he be?'_ Diablos replied before calling, obviously to Seifer, _'You're an asshole because I **say** you're an asshole.'_

"Well I don't want him, have someone return him. And stop with the name-calling, Diablos. You're as bad as he is." 

Laughter rang out in his head, loud and distracting enough that Squall had to wait in the middle of the second floor hallway, outside Cid's office, for them to shut up so he could concentrate on walking again. Shiva kindly passed Squall's comment on to Seifer, and the knight's amusement was warm against the back of Squall's mind. 

"Now shut up, all of you, so I can focus," Squall ordered as he started walking after Cid again. 

Cid chuckled. "On second thought, maybe we were better without GFs," he commented. 

"Let's go with definitely," Squall retorted and the headmaster laughed again. 

-0-

Seifer found him the next morning, dozing over the papers strewn across the conference table he'd commandeered. Reading the reports and SeeD records had proved more sleep-inducing than he'd expected, though he had been able to give Tonberry three possible allies to keep his eyes out for in Galbadia, so at least the night hadn't been wasted. 

"Come on, Squally," Seifer teased, tugging him out of his chair. "Breakfast, then you can drag people back here to help sort through this." 

Squall hummed thoughtfully as he let Seifer lead him out to the lift. "The only one I trust to help me with that is Sis. Or Quisty, if she was here. Hey, Bahamut–"

_'One of the Alexander's crew was in the Trabia infirmary,'_ Bahamut reported before Squall could finish asking. _'She was itching to return to her scout anyway and is happy to pass on the message. We'll meet up with the ship in a couple minutes.'_

"Perfect. Thank you. If they don't hightail it out of there, feel free to drop a Mega Flare to aft." 

Seifer laughed at his side while Bahamut rumbled, _'With **pleasure** , Sorcerer.'_

Zell, Irvine, and Elle were waiting for them in the cafeteria, two extra trays sat in front of open seats between them. "Seifer said you fell asleep," Zell joked, nudging Squall's shoulder once he'd sat between him and Irvine. 

Squall raised an eyebrow at his knight, who replied with a shrug and explained, "Diablos and I had words last night." Then he narrowed his eyes. "And excuse you, Leonhart, but I was here first; if either of us is getting returned, it's _you_."

Squall snorted and looked towards Elle. "Could you help me sort through all that paperwork? Uncle Cid isn't great at keeping things organised, and it's clearly putting me to sleep." 

The others laughed, Seifer the loudest and meanest of the lot, just because he could. (An inside glimpse of his knight's real emotions made it a lot harder to be bothered by his usual callous face, which Squall had long trained himself to be mostly unbothered by, anyway.) 

"I'm happy to help, Squall," Elle agreed cheerfully. 

"What about the rest of us?" Zell requested, a well of hope in the words. 

Squall considered that for a couple bites, then swallowed and asked, "Can I assume Garden is not weaponised in its mobility?" 

"They couldn't find anything that looked like a weapon," Irvine agreed. "No controls for it, and the group that walked the perimeter didn't report anything that looked like any of the weapons we know the Centrans possessed." 

"So it's very likely any fighting between ourselves and Galbadia will be done with handguns and personal weapons," Squall murmured, nodding. "Good. Irvine, Zell, can you two hunt down a few other bodies – SeeD or cadet, I don't care – and set up weapons lockers near the main entrance, the Secret Area, the first floor emergency exit, and any other possible entrances I'm drawing a blank on? Prioritise long-range weapons, since most members of Balamb keep short-range weapons on their person." 

"You got it, man," Zell agreed while Irvine made an affirmative sound. 

Squall glanced across the table at Seifer, who raised an eyebrow at him. "Pull a couple of SeeDs or any cadets who can work with you and make a run of Garden. I need to know our weak points, the most defensible positions, what areas can be completely closed down if we need to conserve power, anything." 

Seifer nodded and sat his fork down. "Do you need an inventory, while we're working on all that?" His tone was mocking, but they both knew it was a valid question. 

"Let me check with Uncle Cid and I'll let you know," Squall decided. "It's possible he's already got someone on it." 

"Do you have a time frame for all of this?" Irvine asked, military efficiency in his tone. 

"By the time we reach Trabia. So..." Squall frowned in thought for a moment, trying to calculate what he knew about Garden's current speed versus his knowledge of how far away Trabia Garden would have been for Alexander and walking on foot. "Two days, approximately. I'd like to have the main entrance's weapons lockers and one by the first floor exit done by the end of the day, if you can, but let's avoid sending anyone to Doc Kadowaki with strained muscles." 

Irvine snorted. "I think we can manage that much, at least." 

"You say that," Zell muttered, "but Hyne alone knows the state of the weapons lockers right now." 

Squall considered that for a moment, then announced, "I have every faith in your ability to manage the task." 

"Is it the apocalypse?" Seifer joked. "Squall Leonhart is giving motivational speeches, now." 

"Seifer?" 

"Squally?" 

"Get out of my hair before I reassign you to private ice magic tutoring." 

His knight laughed, honestly amused, and stood from the table. "Kinneas, Dincht, let's go shift some of these lazy bodies clogging the cafeteria." 

Squall waited until the three men were a few tables away, Seifer calling attention to himself in the most obnoxious way possible, then stood up with a sigh and started collecting the forgotten trays. "Let's get out of here before the bloodbath starts." 

Elle followed after him, giggling. 

-0-

.


	9. Every Story I Have Told is a Part of Me & You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemon in this chapter. Unmarked, but the lead-up is rather obvious, and there's nothing after it. So, you know, if you're uncomfortable about our two boys getting a little over-close, read until you can't, then wait for the next chapter. XD

By the time Balamb parked outside Trabia, the weapons lockers were prepared; Seifer's team had picked out every possible trouble spot and every safe haven for those cadets and faculty members who'd refused to be evacuated, but would only serve as a hazard in a battle; Squall knew far more about the two separate groups of SeeDs now under his control than he'd ever imagined he would; and he and NORG had discussed Garden's new status as a vehicle of war and how completely unwelcome the Shumi's input was in further SeeD matters. 

"You have two options," Squall informed the Garden Master coolly, Cid wringing his hands on one side of him, Seifer warm and protective at his back. "You can either continue on with us, with the understanding that, while Garden is mobile, you have no say in its use, or we can drop you off in Trabia or at FH, when we get there, and you can sort out your own travel arrangements from there." 

"AND-WHAT-MAKES-YOU-BELIEVE-I-INTEND-TO-ACCEPT-YOUR-TERMS-PEACEFULLY?" 

Seifer let out a laugh that promised a two-fold return on any violence aimed towards Squall. "What makes you think you'll survive facing off against the SeeD who single-handedly kept Sorceress Edea's missiles from hitting Garden?" 

Squall raised an eyebrow at the Shumi. 

They could all see the moment when NORG decided his life was worth more than the money funnelled down to him from SeeD missions. "I-WILL-DEPART-AT-TRABIA." 

"An _excellent_ choice," Seifer declared before allowing Squall to push him back towards the lift. 

"Someone will be sent for you once we land in an hour or so," Squall called back, more focussed on getting his knight out of the basement before he changed NORG's mind about a peaceful parting, than he was about being polite. 

"Well," Cid said tiredly once they were on their way up in the lift, "that went remarkably well." 

"Squally plays hard-ass far better than you do, Headmaster," Seifer commented. "People tend to listen to hard-asses, especially when they can crush your skull with their little finger." 

"And yet, it never seems to work with you," Squall said, tone dry, as the lift opened on the ground floor, where Seifer was getting off. Squall and Cid were returning to the second floor and the conference room-turned-shared office. 

"My skull is stronger than you think!" Seifer shouted before the doors closed. 

"It's certainly harder," Cid muttered, and Squall bit his tongue against a laugh. 

-0-

Not quite an hour later, while Squall was trying to update the slim file they had on the Alexander's crew and Cid was moaning about his own paperwork on the far end of the conference room table, he felt Bahamut return to him. _'You are nearly on top of Trabia,'_ the dragon explained, and Squall couldn't tell if he was answering a question from Seifer, or the question he'd expected Squall to pose. Not that it really mattered. 

"We should head down to the gate, Uncle Cid," he called as he stood. 

Cid glanced towards the window behind him. "We're still moving." 

"By the time we make it downstairs, we won't be," Squall promised before leaving the room. Honestly, he'd nearly exhausted his knowledge of Alexander's personal. He'd have to ask Elle next, and while he was sure she'd be able and willing to fill in a lot of his gaps, most of the information he was lacking could only be supplied by Beau or the SeeDs themselves. 

He held the lift for Cid, certain the headmaster would be right behind him, and wasn't disappointed. 

"How did you want to handle the, ah..." Cid waved ineffectually towards Squall. 

"The cadets and staff of Trabia no more fall under my purview than does Balamb's," Squall reminded him drily. 

Cid grimaced. "I mean your magic," he got out in a quiet rush of words. 

Squall sighed and rubbed a couple fingers along the scar on his forehead. "As much as I prefer to keep it quiet, if we are to team up against Galbadia Garden and the sorceress, Headmistress Fields needs to be aware of who she's fighting with," he admitted. "We'll tell her the truth. Or, at least, the important parts. Knowing what, exactly, I'm capable of is, perhaps, best left under lock and key as much as possible." 

Cid nodded. "I'll leave it to you, then. And, of course, assuring her you have a knight will soothe many concerns." 

"Only because she doesn't know him," Squall muttered as they stepped off the lift on the ground floor, and Cid chuckled behind him as Squall stepped forward to meet said knight, who was waiting next to the map with Elle, Zell, Irvine, Raijin, and Fujin. 

As Squall reached the party, Garden shuddered to a halt around them, and the SeeD manning the intercom came on to explain they were at Trabia Garden and remind everyone to remain inside Balamb until such a time as the clear to leave had been granted by either Cid or Squall. 

"Nakai, Natsuki," Squall greeted; he hadn't had the opportunity to speak to Seifer's two friends since their hectic return to Garden, but he knew they had been helping Seifer manage things while Squall drowned in paperwork. 

"Commander," Raijin answered for both of them. "Fuu and I were wondering if it might be too much to ask for us to cross over with you to Trabia, ya know? For runners back, if you need them, or anything else." 

When Squall glanced at him, Seifer's response was to grin at him in the most obnoxious manner he had. 

Squall snorted. "Very well," he told the two-thirds of the Disciplinary Committee that remained cadets. "But do make pains to act as a manner befitting Balamb Garden cadets, rather than Seifer's shadows." He turned a hard look on his knight, certain it would have no effect, but unable to keep from at least trying. 

In keeping with expectations, Seifer's grin widened. 

"Let's not keep Angelica waiting!" Cid called, striding past the huddle they'd made and starting down the hall. 

Squall glanced over the group, then ordered, "Zell, Nakai, stay with the headmaster. Nakai, if he needs you to run an errand for him, do it; Zell, you're on bodyguard duty." 

"You got it, Squall," Zell promised as both he and Raijin shot off the salute before hurrying after the escaping headmaster. 

"Irvine, stick with Sis. If something happens, you get her to safety before anything else, clear?" 

"Crystal," Irvine agreed before offering his elbow to Elle, who took it with a smile, and they started after the others. 

Squall turned to the grinning Seifer and the impassive Fujin. "You two are with me. Let's go." 

Seifer's expression smoothed over as he fell in at Squall's side, Fujin bringing up the rear. "Expecting trouble, Leonhart?" 

Squall glanced at him, then touched his necklace. "I always expect trouble on the Trabian continent." 

"Hm. Will I have to tie you down to get the full story?" Seifer asked. When Squall cocked an eyebrow at him, the blond pointed out, "Leonhart, you've been avoiding me since I admitted I knew anything at all." 

Squall wanted to insist he _hadn't_ been avoiding his knight, he was just busy. But, honestly, a part of him had wanted to avoid the topic of Virgie, afraid to reopen anew a wound that still ached, for all that it had long scabbed over. "Sis was there," he said by way of reply. 

"She says it's your story to tell." 

Squall huffed. "Yes," he muttered, "she would." He shook his head as they passed through the security gates. "Speaking of knowing, what does your posse know?" 

Seifer shot him a look that said he knew what Squall was trying to do, and was only going along with his subject change for the moment. "I told them what I knew about you before I left." 

Squall stopped walking and glanced back towards Fujin's almost amused expression before he rounded on his knight. "You did _what_?" he demanded, grabbing at Seifer with enough strength to pull him off balance. 

Seifer grabbed Squall to steady himself. "Fuck, Squall, they didn't give me a choice, okay?" 

"THREATENED," Fujin agreed, amusement colouring the single word. 

Before Squall could snarl a response to that, Seifer clapped his hand over Squall's mouth and leant in to whisper, "I trust them, Leonhart. I needed to know there was someone keeping an eye on you." 

Squall closed his eyes in defeat. "Fuck you, Almasy," he muttered half-heartedly against Seifer's hand. 

His idiotic, bumbling, _sorry_ excuse for a knight. Even when he did absolutely everything wrong, he did something right. 

"Hey, lovebirds, let's go!" Irvine called back. 

The sense of Seifer at the back of Squall's mind gave a confused little flop before a sort of 'oh shit' feeling cut through it. Squall opened his eyes and found his knight almost too close, expression closed and hand still pressed over Squall's mouth. "What is it?" he whispered against the leather of Seifer's gloves. 

Seifer jerked back, as though stung, and immediately pasted on his familiar cocky expression before calling back, "If you're insinuating I tweet, Kinneas, I promise I'll make you sing!" He flashed Squall a smirk. "Come on, Commander. Not nice to make our sister-Garden wait." 

Squall stared at him for a moment, trying to read between the fine cracks in Seifer's mask and the flinching curl of his familiar warmth in the back of Squall's mind. But he got nothing more than a sense of irritated embarrassment for his troubles, so he gave a sharp nod and started after the others again. Seifer stayed back with Fujin for the rest of the trip, and Squall felt oddly cold for the distance. 

He shook the sensation off as he stepped out into the weak Trabian sunlight, seeing Quistis, Selphie, and a heavy-set woman with a head of bright red curls standing with the rest of the Balamb party. As he reached them, he gave a nod to both Quistis and Selphie, then turned his eyes on the unfamiliar woman. 

Up close, it was clear that her large frame was more muscle than the fat that both Cid and Martine wore about their middles, and Squall immediately felt a sense of respect and kinship for this woman. "Headmistress Fields, I presume," he commented, offering forward his hand. 

The woman smiled and took the offered hand for a firm handshake. "You presume correctly. You must be Commander Leonhart." 

"Regretfully," Squall returned drily, and Fields snorted. "Shall we retire somewhere and trade information?" 

"Of course," the headmistress agreed. "First, I believe your...dragon–?"

"Bahamut." 

"Him. He mentioned something about lending us some of your more technologically advanced students to try and get our flight systems running?" 

Squall glanced back towards Fujin. "Cadet Natsuki, please take SeeDs Trepe and Tilmitt up to the bridge to find who they need. And tell them to send NORG's escort down for him." 

Fujin saluted before motioning for Quistis and Selphie to follow her back into Balamb. 

"That should about do it," Cid offered cheerfully. "Now, Angelica, I think it's best we retire to Trabia; I'm afraid Squall and I have rather taken over our conference room." 

"So you're saying it's covered in important paperwork that one has to spend an hour shifting through to find the single paper you're looking for?" Fields asked. 

Elle let out a bright laugh. "I take it you've met Uncle Cid's desk, then." 

"A few times," Fields agreed. 

"It's remarkably improved now that Squall's taken over a chunk of it," Elle promised. 

"Sure that's not just because he's got more room to spread out?" Seifer wondered. He'd clearly recovered from his earlier shock, for he was walking close at Squall's shoulder, and while Squall could tell whatever it had been was still bothering him, by the undertone of turmoil running through the warmth at the back of his mind, Seifer was doing a good job of pretending everything was normal. 

Clearly, they _did_ need to catch a few quiet hours together and talk. As much as Squall would rather avoid it. 

"Don't be an ass, Seifer," Zell snapped. 

"Can it," Squall ordered before Seifer could reply. "The next one of you–" he looked between Seifer, Zell, and Irvine, catching each of their eyes so they knew he meant them "–who starts a fight, is going to be leant to Dr Kadowaki when we finally meet up with Galbadia." 

Seifer moaned and leaned heavily on Squall's shoulder, ignoring the odd looks it earned him from the Trabia cadets they were passing. "But, Squally, _Rinoa's_ in there. She wants my _soul_."

Irvine coughed, clearly wanting to respond to that, but not willing to call Squall's bluff. 

Squall rolled his eyes. "You can behave yourself for a couple weeks, Seifer." 

Raijin let out a loud guffaw and very pointedly looked away from Seifer's glare. 

Squall snorted and shrugged Seifer off his shoulder as the Trabia lift opened for them and Fields led the way in, clearly amused by their interactions. 

They settled in the Trabia conference room. Squall was vaguely surprised to find himself shepherded to the head of the table, Fields and Cid on either side of him. He was less surprised by the way Seifer eyed his seating options – all down the table from Squall – and promptly dragged a chair over to sit just behind Squall on his left, easily out of the way, should Squall need to draw his gunblade for some reason. (It was his normal position, Squall was discovering.) 

Fields raised an eyebrow at Squall and he raised one right back at her as a cadet stepped in to ask after refreshments. 

"Were we going to wait for Quisty and Selphie?" Elle asked once the cadet left with their orders. 

Squall shrugged and looked around the table. "Technically, no. But since they've already involved themselves in this mess far more than your average SeeD, we may as well." He leaned back in his chair, closer to Seifer, and asked Fields, "What do you know? So we know what holes to fill in." 

By the time Quistis, Selphie, and Fujin rejoined them, it was clear that Fields knew the basics that Squall had laid out on the train to Dollet, as well as about the failed attempt that had the team running back to Balamb and the warning about the missiles that had them splitting up. She also knew about Squall's promotion, likely via Bahamut. 

"What I'm having difficulty with," Fields said as the three newcomers settled at the far end of the table, "is how you're able to communicate with your GFs the way you do, Commander." 

Squall met her gaze and stated, "I'm a sorcerer; it comes with the territory." 

"I was _right_?" Selphie squeaked while Fields' eyes went wide. 

Trabia's headmistress turned to Cid. "Are you _mad_? I thought SeeD was created to _destroy_ Sorceresses, not _follow_ one, Cid!" 

The table exploded, the various SeeDs and cadets that hadn't known throwing a fit at the simple truth of SeeD's purpose and what it meant for Squall. Squall just sighed and rubbed at his forehead, somewhere between touched at the concern and irritated at the way they were behaving. 

Seifer slammed his palm down on the table next to Squall, towering over him, and ordered, "All of you _shut up_." He turned to Fields as the others settled angrily. "The way it was explained to me, Headmistress Fields, is that SeeD's duty is to nullify any threat of a sorceress gone mad. Ignoring the gender-specific semantics involved here, Commander Leonhart remains in possession of his sense, at least for the moment, and so is not one of SeeD's targets. And should someone think to ignore that detail, they will go through _me_ , first." He leaned in, getting between Squall and Fields, and asked, voice gone low and threatening, "Are you and I going to have a problem, Headmistress?" 

There was a long silence, everyone waiting for the shoe to drop, and then Seifer let out a snort and stepped back. Squall raised an eyebrow at Fields' smile and she said, "He's quite protective, your Knight." 

"He's a pain in my ass," Squall retorted and the tension drained from the room. He glanced up at Seifer and ordered, "Sit down and stop threatening the handful of allies we have." 

"Is that why the sorceress made Seifer her knight?" Selphie asked. "Quisty said she was in your head, Squally. Did she grab him to..." 

"Get to me?" Squall finished, stomach sinking. He hadn't even thought about that possibility, that the other sorceress had gone after Seifer because she knew he belonged to Squall. 

A warm hand curled around his left shoulder, squeezing it in an offer of comfort. 

"It's unlikely that it was that premeditated," Squall decided. "She left me for dead." 

"If it was all in your head, though, how could she have thought you'd be dead?" Zell asked. 

"It's remarkable, how much damage can follow having a hostile sorceress in your head," Seifer bit out. When Zell frowned and opened his mouth, Seifer snapped, "Leave it, Dincht!" 

"We're getting off topic," Cid offered, shooting Squall a worried look. 

Squall shrugged in response to the headmaster's concern, but agreed, "We're not here to discuss what the sorceress has done, but what we should expect of her in future." 

"What do we know about her powers? Anything?" Fields asked. "SeeDs Trepe and Tilmitt explained she has access to Edea's own ice magic, but you were uncertain beyond that." 

"She left a Stop for us when we broke in, which was Sorceress Magic," Squall reported before snorting and shaking his head. "I should have cast an Esuna sooner than I did." 

"That was a _Stop_?" Quistis demanded, staring at Squall. "But I have defence against Stop!" 

Squall raised his eyebrows and absently tugged on his necklace. "That...almost makes sense," he commented before shaking his head. "The first time I cast status magic on someone, para-magic couldn't remove it; it simply isn't strong enough." 

"I remember that," Elle murmured, watching where Squall's fingers were rubbing over the familiar lion's head. "You were terrified." 

Squall dropped his hand back into his lap. "Given she can use Stop, I expect she'll have access to the whole run of time and space magic. From the magic she used in my head, I expect we can expect forbidden magic from her, as well." Winces went around the table. "Since she stuck with ice magic for the most part, I expect there's some limit to how much magic she can cast through Matron." 

"That's as reassuring as the idea of a sorceress with forbidden magic is disturbing," Fields commented. 

"I also don't believe she's working alone," Squall offered, ignoring the topic of forbidden magic. 

"Wait, _what_?" Cid called, looking at Squall with alarm. 

Squall grimaced, recalling that he hadn't shared that realisation with the headmaster; hadn't shared it was _anyone_ , actually, though Seifer had been privy to enough of the conversation that he likely had at least an idea. "The magic to possess people," he explained and Cid's eyes widened in understanding. "My GFs and I believe there's someone on her end who's allowing her to possess others." 

"A _second_ mad sorceress?" Fields breathed. "Hellfire." 

"That...might not be entirely accurate," Elle offered, looking troubled. 

Everyone looked at her, Seifer leaning around Squall's shoulder to see. "Sis?" Squall prompted when she didn't explain her comment right away. 

Elle let out a sigh and straightened. "When I was a child, I was taken into the holding of Esthar, to serve as one of Sorceress Adel's possible heirs. Before my uncle, Squall's father–" Squall stiffened and Elle flashed him an apologetic smile "–rescued me, Dr Odine discovered that I had a power of my own. _Not_ , as you might assume, Sorceress Magic, but rather a gift I was born with; I can send the consciousness of myself and those I have met into the past, giving them some little control over the body of the person I send them to, who I must also be acquainted with." 

"Any other not-quite-sorceresses in your keeping, Cid?" Fields asked. 

"I'm sorry, Elle, you said you could send the person's consciousness through _time_?" Seifer asked, glancing over at Squall, who replied with a minute nod to show that, yes, his thoughts had also gone to the fact that his adult self had been there when his child self had received his powers. 

"Yes." 

"That would explain why this sorceress requires a proxy body for her dirty work," Quistis pointed out. "Though, why now..." 

"She wants to destroy SeeD, right?" Irvine replied quietly. "That's what Squall said. It's not quite the start of SeeD, but it's close enough." 

In Squall's mind, Diablos let out a loud laugh. _'Oh, but this is wonderful! Sorceress, create thyself!'_

"Whatever you're going on about now, shut up," Seifer muttered, dropping his forehead to Squall's shoulder. "Freakish–"

"Be nice," Squall murmured, aiming the order as much at Diablos as he was at Seifer. 

"Trouble?" Cid asked, brow furrowed in concern. 

Squall shook his head while Seifer sat back in his chair and explained, "Just a GF getting his hands on some good stuff." When Squall turned to look at his knight, one eyebrow raised in amusement, Seifer retorted, "What do _you_ call it, then?" 

_'Diablos being Diablos,'_ Shiva replied as she threw ice at the still-laughing GF. 

"Essentially," Squall agreed. 

Everyone else wisely decided asking Elle about her power was more important than Squall and Seifer's byplay. Elle didn't have a whole lot extra to say about it, though she was quick to promise that she hadn't used the ability since she'd escaped Esthar. "And I'm not sure I'd want to, not knowing how it's being used now." 

"Clearly you will in future, or you'll pass the ability on to someone who uses it," Selphie pointed out. 

"This is neither here nor there," Fields decided, looking at Squall. "If this sorceress is in a different time period, how can we expect to stop her?" 

Squall rubbed at his face, resisting the urge to curse at that unfortunate question. 

"This might be a stupid idea, ya know," Raijin spoke up, "but the doctor who studied your ability might have some ideas, right?" 

"That's...not a bad idea," Squall murmured. 

"Would he still be alive?" Fields asked. 

"I know he survived the war with Adel," Cid said, perking up. "He'd be in Esthar if he is, and the only way there is through Fisherman's Horizon." 

"Which we need to stop by anyway," Squall finished. "Sending a team shouldn't be difficult." 

"Then we're to Fisherman's Horizon for repairs and sending some SeeDs to Esthar in hopes that this Dr Odine has an idea about how to defeat that sorceress," Fields summed up. 

"And, with luck, we'll meet up with Alexander in there somewhere," Squall agreed. "I would appreciate having their ears to the wind, keeping an eye on things and ferrying messages between us and those SeeDs spread out across Trabia and Galbadia." 

"Ah, yes, the scout ship's mission," Fields recalled. "Fair enough. And Galbadia Garden?" 

"Until we have an idea of how to handle this sorceress, it's best if we avoid her as much as possible," Squall admitted regretfully. "As long as she's possessing Matron, we know where she is." 

"Then send someone fast to Esthar," Irvine said, voice tight. "The sooner we get her out of Matron, the better." 

"We could take Bahamut again!" Selphie suggested cheerfully. 

"I don't think the Estharians would appreciate that visitor," Fields pointed out. "He caused enough of a panic here, even after Selphie was recognised." 

"I'll go," Squall announced. When they all turned to look at him, he remarked. "I know the most about this sorceress and her means of possession, and I have GFs to serve as travel means, to speed the trip up. Shiva can remain in Balamb Garden and we can keep in contact through her." 

"Not Seifer?" Irvine wondered, an unholy gleam in his eyes. 

"If you think I'm letting Squally walk into a potentially hostile country without me, Kinneas, you need a knock around the head," Seifer bit out, voice tense. 

Squall shrugged, having already assumed his knight would be going with him. "Essentially." 

"You'll need to sort out a chain of command for while you're gone," Cid pointed out. 

Squall raised an eyebrow at the headmaster. "You're capable of managing the land-locked SeeDs for a couple days, and Beau is obviously in charge of the Alexander's crew. Sis, help Uncle Cid manage his paperwork so I don't have to waste a day reorganising everything when I return?" 

Elle laughed. "Of course, Squall." 

Trabia gave a great lurch. 

Squall stood. "If that's everything," he said to Fields, "I believe it's time to head for FH." 

Everyone else stood around the table. "Do we have a way to communicate between the Gardens?" Fields enquired. 

Shiva appeared next to Seifer, making the knight curse and jerk away from her. _"You do now,"_ she offered, amused. 

"Thank you, Shiva," Squall said, offering his first GF a small smile. "And I should have asked, are you okay with remaining behind while I go to Esthar?" 

Shiva inclined her head. _"You know I am, Sorceress."_

Squall stepped forward and let her pull him into a hug, then motioned with his head towards the door. "Anyone who wants to remain on Trabia is more than welcome to, with Headmistress Fields' permission, but be aware that you likely won't be returning to Balamb until we've reached FH." 

"I'd like to stay," Selphie said. "Nothing against Balamb! Just...Trabia's home..." 

"I have no complaints," Fields allowed. 

"Is it all right if I remain as well?" Irvine requested. 

Fields nodded and Squall shrugged. "You two have half an hour to collect anything in Balamb you think you'll need to get you through the next week. Go." 

Selphie immediately dashed out the door while Irvine followed at an easier, yet still hurried, pace. 

Fields snorted, amused. "I'd best tell the cadets in the bridge to set us back down before she makes it to the gates and tries jumping." She looked back at where Shiva was tormenting Seifer by stepping towards him and making him take a step back. "Shiva, correct?" 

Shiva turned her attention away from Seifer, sending a wave of relief through the sense of him at the back of Squall's mind. _"That is correct."_

"If you'll come with me?" 

Squall waved his GF on and waited until Seifer was warm at his shoulder again before following the headmistress and GF from the conference room and turning towards where the others were waiting by the lift. 

"She's so cold. How do you stand her?" Seifer complained. 

"You build up a tolerance, eventually," Squall returned, eyeing Seifer meaningfully. 

Seifer snorted. "Cute, Leonhart. Don't compare me to the Ice Queen." 

"Shall I compare you to Ifrit instead?" Squall asked. 

Seifer opened his mouth to respond, then snapped it closed at either the look on Cid's face, or the way Elle was hurriedly shaking her head. 

"You said you and Ifrit didn't get along," Quistis recalled as they all piled into the lift. 

"That is putting it politely," Cid muttered. 

Squall shrugged. "His crystal exploded." 

There was a long moment of silence, then Seifer decided, "On second thought, compare me to the Ice Queen." 

Squall snorted and shot his knight a look that said exactly how hard he was laughing inside. Seifer just grinned. 

-0-

"Squally?" Elle said, and Squall looked up to find her hovering uncertainly over the cafeteria table he'd half taken over with what little intelligence SeeD had managed to gather on Esthar since they'd closed their borders. 

"Sorry," he murmured as he grabbed for the creeping papers. "Uncle Cid is rubbing off on me." 

She gave a weak chuckle as she settled into the cleared space, catching his attention. "Well, cafeteria tables weren't really meant for paperwork. Why did you leave the conference room?" 

"Faculty meeting," Squall replied, frowning at her. "What's wrong?" 

Elle smiled a bit helplessly. "Are you angry with me?" 

Squall tilted his head to the side, confused. "Should I be?" 

"I...never told you I knew your parents," she replied, looking uncertain. 

Squall sighed. "It's not like I ever asked anyone about them," he pointed out before straightening and very obviously giving her his full attention, since it was clear she wanted to talk. "So we're cousins?" 

Elle sighed and shook her head. "Only very, very distantly," she admitted before smiling sadly. "Your mom, Raine, took me in after my parents were killed by Estharian soldiers. Uncle Laguna, when he came to Winhill to offer his services as a monster fighter, took my parent's house next door to Raine's bar. I...adored him." 

"Clearly, you weren't the only one," Squall remarked drily, but he couldn't quite hide his smile; honestly, he'd never thought to ask anyone about his parents. He knew he'd been a baby when he'd first come to the orphanage, so he'd assumed his mother had died in childbirth, and he'd eventually let himself believe his father had died fighting Esthar. In his more childish moments, he'd dreamt his nameless father had been a war hero. If nothing else, it was clear he was Elle's hero. 

"No. He and Raine got engaged shortly before I got kidnapped. I...don't think they ever got the chance to marry, since I was told Uncle Laguna ran after me almost as soon as he realised I was missing. Raine didn't find out until after he left that she was pregnant." Elle swallowed and looked down at the bottle of water she'd brought over with her. "Uncle Laguna got caught up in the resistance in Esthar and he stayed to help them fight while I was ferried back to Winhill. You were born a week later, and Raine..." 

"Died," Squall finished quietly. So, he hadn't been wrong about his father fighting against Adel. "I knew that much. I assume there was no one in Winhill willing to take two children in?" 

"Not when we had no idea when Estharian soldiers might come looking for me again," Elle agreed. "They sent us to Matron. She told me that, after you came to Alexander, someone sent by Uncle Laguna came looking for me. He...didn't seem to know anything about you, and, by then..." 

"Better he not know," Squall murmured, unsure how his mysterious father would react to a son who was a sorceress. He picked up his pen and tapped it against his other hand a few times before asking, "Laguna?" 

"Laguna Loire," Elle agreed. "And Raine Leonhart. You look a lot like her, I think. But you're built like Uncle Laguna." She smiled uncertainly. "I'm sorry I never told you." 

Squall reached across the table and touched her wrist. "Sis, as much as you miss them, they were only ever an idea to me. I was too young to have really understood before you left, and by the time I was on Alexander..." He shrugged. "I know now. If I happen across my father, I'll let him know you're safe and happy." 

"Are you going to tell him who you are?" 

"That's the question, isn't it," Squall mused, uncertain himself. If his father recognised his last name and asked, Squall would tell him. But if the man didn't bring the topic up, well... Squall didn't really need a father any more. Still... "Will you...tell me about them?" 

Elle's whole face lit up, and Squall realised she'd wanted to tell him about his parents for a long time. 

-0-

"Do you mind if I kidnap the commander for a couple hours, Elle?" Seifer asked from where he was leaning against the door of his guest room before Elle and Squall could open the door to their shared suite. 

Elle shot Squall a knowing look, then smiled at Seifer. "Please do. It's his turn to talk for hours." 

Squall sighed and started towards his knight, resigned to the conversation. "Good night, Sis." 

"Good night, Squall, Seifer." 

Seifer nodded towards her as he pushed open his room door to admit Squall. 

The room was empty, Squall realised first thing. Or, well, not _empty_ , because the normal Garden guest furniture was there, but it lacked the personal touches Squall remembered from Seifer's cadet room. "Did you not get your things out of storage?" he asked as Seifer let the door fall closed. 

Seifer snorted. "I took most of my things with me when I left Garden; they got lost when I got recruited to play Knight to who I thought was Matron." 

Squall winced. "Right. I don't suppose the sorceress was particularly interested in her new knight having things that would remind him of the organisation she wanted to destroy." 

Seifer shrugged and dropped onto his bed. Hyperion was resting against the wall next to the head of the bed, sans sheath, and Squall had to appreciate the preparedness that he didn't usually bother with, considering that his magic would always be his fastest weapon if he was surprised. "Come, Squally. Tell me a tale." 

Squall rubbed at his necklace for a moment before replying, "Only if you'll tell me what happened earlier." 

Seifer raised an eyebrow at him. "You're going to have to be more specific than that, Leonhart. I cannot, in fact, read your mind." 

"When we were heading to Trabia. After you told me Fujin and Raijin knew about my being a sorcerer." 

Seifer stiffened and Squall could practically _feel_ his knight shying away, even as Seifer tried to put on a cocky smirk. "If you want to know about Rinoa wanting my soul, Squally–"

"Seifer, you shut me out. I want to know why in case it happens again." 

Seifer stared at him for a long moment, leaving turmoil at the back of Squall's mind, before he suddenly sat up and leaned forward, wrapping a hand around where Squall was still fingering his necklace. "Let's hear your tale, Leonhart." 

Squall huffed and tugged away so he could unbuckle Sheer Trigger and remove Tonberry's lantern, mostly to give his hands something to do. "Her name was Virgie," he said quietly as he fought with his belts. "She and her brother, Simo, were the first orphans to be brought aboard Alexander, after Sis and me. Gee...didn't handle the upset to her life well, and she almost ran into a part of the railing that wasn't in the most stable of conditions. I accidentally hit her with Stop, and she...attached herself to me." 

"Aww, young love," Seifer teased, but his smile was sad as he made room on the bed for Squall to sit. 

"She was as much my sister as Sis is," Squall retorted, pointedly dragging over the desk chair to sit in. 

Seifer rolled his eyes, but didn't stretch back out over the bed like Squall had expected. 

Squall sighed and tangled his fingers in the chain, staring over Seifer's shoulder into the distance. "She never had trouble with my magic, but some of the other kids that we housed for a bit did. It became Alexander policy that any child over four years old would be dropped at a Garden, and those who stayed on the ship for any length of time would have to go to Balamb, so they would get a GF." 

"Protecting you from being discovered," Seifer realised, eyes widening. 

Squall shrugged and nodded. "Not that I realised it back then, but, yes, that was the intention." He sighed. "Gee never got sent to Garden – I expect Matron and Beau didn't want to get into that fight with us – so she helped Sis and I take care of the littler kids when we made landfall, giving Matron and the SeeDs the chance to relax a bit. 

"When I was eight, we stopped in Trabia and most of the SeeDs left to take care of something; monsters, I expect. We were all wandering out of sight of Alexander and Gee got ahead with a few of the other kids. A ruby dragon appeared and I called Bahamut to protect Sis and those kids while I went after Gee. Only–" Squall closed his eyes, swallowing against the memory of the second ruby dragon holding Virgie's body in one claw. "There was a second ruby dragon. It caught me unprepared. I used Ultima on it and its claw landed near me. It had been holding Gee, already dead." 

"Squall," Seifer whispered and a hand wrapped warmly around his wrist. 

Squall opened his eyes to meet his knight's gaze, let the familiar warmth soothe the ache of the old memories, even as he admitted, "I lost control. My magic...it destroyed every ruby dragon it could find. It... _I_ wanted revenge." 

"You wanted your sister back," Seifer whispered before forcing a smile. "You have a history of that." 

Squall snorted. "Apparently." He closed his eyes again and leaned forward until he could rest his head against Seifer's outstretched arm. "Beau is right. As I was then, I did the best I could. Hell, she was probably dead before I even realised there was trouble, but I still..." 

"You can't change the past, Leonhart," Seifer reminded him before squeezing Squall's wrist. "No matter how much you want to make it right." 

Squall knew his knight was remembering when he'd left Squall unconscious in the infirmary, and he smiled even as he untangled his fingers from his necklace and twisted his hand to grip Seifer's wrist back. "True," he murmured, looking up at the blond, "but we can promise not to hide things from each other again." 

"Leonhart–" Seifer started, tone warning, but the sense of him in the back of Squall's mind was shot through with anxiety. 

"I can feel your emotions, Seifer," Squall replied, tightening his grip on Seifer's wrist before his knight could try pulling away. "I know when you're trying to hide something from me." 

"I can feel your emotions too, Leonhart," Seifer bit out, "and you don't need this right–"

"What I _need_ , SeeD Almasy," Squall hissed, narrowing his eyes at his knight, "is for you to stop assuming you know what I can and can't handle hearing. The _last time_ we weren't clear with each other, I spent a month avoiding you and you _abandoned me_." He tugged on Seifer's arm as he leaned forward, until he could feel Seifer's too-fast breaths against his face. "What. Are. You. _Hiding_?"

"Dammit, Squall," Seifer whispered before he leaned forward even more and lips brushed against Squall's, light and uncertain. 

Squall's magic sang under his skin, urging him to follow after his knight before Seifer could pull away. 

Squall knew, of course, that a sorceress and her knight were often lovers, if not a child and her older relative. He'd never really considered he'd have that sort of relationship with his own knight, even before he knew it was Seifer, but it felt...right, that he should bring his free hand up to cup Seifer's cheek and press his mouth back against his knight's. 

Seifer let out a broken sound and tugged Squall forward hard enough that they both ended up sprawled across the bed, Squall on top. "Dammit, Squall," Seifer repeated, the words warm against Squall's lips. "You better not be fucking with me." 

"Why is that always your first conclusion?" Squall complained before pressing his pelvis against Seifer's thigh; his magic's pleasure at this development was translating into a very physical sign of interest. "Does this answer your question?" 

Seifer groaned and caught Squall's bottom lip between his teeth, worrying it in a way that completely destroyed the grasp Squall still had on his senses. He melted against his knight with a quiet whimper, feeling the familiar warmth seep through his clothing and skin, calming and exciting his magic all at once. 

"Can I–?" Seifer whispered as his hands cupped Squall's arse. 

Squall knew what he wanted, how it would go. He felt some uncertainty, but also... "I trust you," he whispered back, because he did. Despite everything that had happened in the past year – or, perhaps, because of it – he trusted that Seifer wasn't going to hurt him. Was more likely to try coddling him, actually, if only to be an ass. 

"I am going to make you regret that," Seifer warned, bringing his hands up to tug Squall's shirt free of his trousers. 

"Won't," Squall returned before sitting up so he could tug off his shirt. For once, he was glad he'd decided to take off his jacket while working on paperwork earlier, even if it meant he'd forgotten it in the conference room. 

Seifer's hands pressed against his abdomen, warm and gentle. His eyes, though, were anything but gentle, burning with want in a way that made Squall feel like his skin was on fire. "I suppose you'll do," Seifer murmured as his hands slid up Squall's chest and caught his necklace's chain, which he then used to pull Squall down. 

Squall caught himself with his arms and hovered over Seifer, resisting the pull on his necklace. "You're overdressed, Sir Seifer." 

Seifer's breath caught at the title and he let go of Squall's necklace, hands dropping to the bed at either side of him. "You should fix that, then, my Sorcerer." 

Oh, there was definitely a sort of secret thrill at the possessive. Squall took a breath, centring himself, and reached down to undo Seifer's waistcoat. 

Hands stopped him, and Squall looked up at Seifer's amused expression with a scowl. "Use your magic." 

Squall jerked back, disbelieving. "What?" 

"You can teleport people," Seifer explained, fingers sliding comfortably between Squall's. "Teleport our clothing." 

An old fear curled in Squall's chest, squeezing his heart, and he shook his head. "You have no idea what that–"

Seifer brought one of Squall's trapped hands up to his lips and pressed a light kiss against the back of his hand, holding Squall's gaze the entire time. "I trust you," he whispered, and Squall knew he meant it. "I need you to trust yourself." 

Squall stared down into the calm green eyes for a moment, let Seifer's confidence ease the old fear, then closed his eyes and envisioned what he wanted: The last of their clothing in a pile on the chair he'd been sitting in before. 

There was a sudden shock of warm flesh against Squall's thighs where he was straddling his knight, and Seifer let out a pleased groan before pressing a hard kiss to the back of Squall's hand. "Told you," he murmured as he let go of Squall's hands to bracket his hips, holding Squall down as he pressed up, hot cock sliding against the crack of Squall's arse. 

Squall bit his lip to keep from making the needy sound that wanted to come out, but he couldn't halt the way his body pushed back, seeking more contact. 

Seifer chuckled and reached up under his pillow with one hand. "Come down here, Squall. I need room to work." 

"Work?" Squall asked as he leant down, pressing his forehead against Seifer's and lining their scars up. 

"Mm." Seifer's hand curled around one of Squall's arse cheeks and pressed two fingers against his entrance. "My favourite kind," he murmured before licking at Squall's lips. 

One of Seifer's fingers slipped into Squall and he made a face. It wasn't _unpleasant_ , really, but it certainly felt strange to have something pressing into an opening where things usually came out. He could tell Seifer was moving his finger around, because he could feel the motions against his entrance, but he couldn't actually tell what the blond was _doing_.

A second finger pressed in, and the stretch of his entrance started edging on uncomfortable. "Seifer," he warned looking down into the green eyes that were so very close, and so very watchful. 

"Patience," Seifer murmured. 

And then, like a spark of thunder magic cast from deep inside, pleasure shot through Squall, centred on a bundle of nerves that he'd known were there, but he'd never have guessed how damnably sensitive they were. "Hyne," he gasped out, melting against Seifer. 

"There you go," Seifer said, amusement in his voice. "Fuck, Leonhart, you are such a tight-ass. And I do mean that literally." 

"Sh-ah-hut up," Squall stuttered, squeezing his eyes closed so he didn't have to see the glint of smug amusement in his knight's eyes. 

"I did warn you about trusting me," Seifer pointed out as a third finger slipped into Squall. Seifer's other hand smoothed along his spine and the blond whispered, " _Relax_ , Squall." 

Squall tried, knew everything would go smoother if he did, but Seifer kept touching that spot inside of him, sending fire through him, and Squall hated the unexpectedness of it. 

"Controlling idiot," Seifer murmured before a hand fisted in Squall's hair and his head was held in place so Seifer could perform an extremely thorough exploration of his mouth. 

Squall didn't even notice Seifer's hand had left his hair until the blond groaned into his mouth. That was also about the moment he noticed the increased pressure at his entrance. "You con-niving _bastard_ ," Squall breathed, torn between impressed and irritated. Also, impatient. Possibly. 

Seifer gasped out a laugh as his hands settled on Squall's hips, tracing the outline of his hipbone with his thumbs. "It's your show now, Squall," he offered after a couple deep breaths. 

Squall pushed himself up, watching Seifer's minute expressions as the cock inside him shifted with his every change in position. Squall felt full and warm in a new way that he couldn't have imagined before this moment, no matter how much he'd read about sex. It was...comfortable, the faint burn of his stretched entrance proof that this was real. 

His magic pressed against his skin, begging to be let free, but Squall held on, refusing to trust it like Seifer seemed to think he should; the last time his magic had escaped, he'd exterminated an entire species. 

"Less thinking, Leonhart," Seifer chided, squeezing Squall's hips. "In fact, no thinking. I'll make that a rule." 

Squall snorted. "And you expect me to follow your rules?" he retorted before giving an experimental roll of his hips against Seifer's pelvis. 

Seifer, very obviously, decided answering Squall was not worth the struggle of forming words. 

Squall tried a few more careful motions, watching Seifer's unusually open face, before he lifted his hips away, pulling nearly completely off Seifer's cock, then settled back down on it a little harder than he'd intended, caught off guard by the rough drag of separation and the way Seifer's cock pushed past the bundle of nerves inside on re-entry. 

"Squall," Seifer whispered, voice absolutely ruined, " _please_. You're killing me here." 

Squall wanted to make a smart comment back, because that was familiar, but he _wanted this_. He wanted more friction, wanted to feel Seifer moving inside him, wanted to feel his knight's warmth deeper inside. So he moved, clenching his hands into fists against Seifer's chest and enjoying the way Seifer's own hands tightened against his hips, the ache of forming bruises certain to stay with him for days. 

One of Seifer's hands left Squall's hip without warning, and his movements stuttered before he let out a gasp and pushed forward into the hand that wrapped around his cock. 

"Come on, Squall," Seifer whispered, catching Squall's eyes with his hungry stare. "Come on. I've got you. Trust me." 

Underneath it all were the words Seifer didn't say, but were understood: 'Trust me to keep your magic under control.'

Squall closed his eyes and dug his nails into Seifer's chest before, for the first time in almost ten years, he let his magic go. 

It rushed over him, setting his nerves alight with absolute pleasure, and it was only sinking his teeth into his lip that kept him from screaming through his release. 

When he collapsed forward onto Seifer, something heavy weighed him down. He glanced tiredly over his shoulder and froze to find grey wings grown from his shoulder blades, glinting with a metallic sheen in the dorm light. 

"Sorceress wings," Seifer whispered before gently brushing his fingers against the fine feathers closest to where the wings had come out. 

Squall shuddered and pressed closer to Seifer at the odd sensation of newly formed nerves enjoying the warmth of his knight for the first time. "Great," he muttered, voice a little rough around the edges. "This will keep anyone from realising what I am." 

Seifer let out a grunt and grabbed Squall's hips, upsetting his wings on the way. " _Still_ ," Seifer hissed as Squall moved again, wings shifting to resettle disturbed feathers. 

Squall realised Seifer was still inside him and likely more than a little over-sensitive. "Sorry," he murmured, mentally ordering his wings to stop shifting. 

Seifer took a couple deep breaths, then gently shifted Squall until they were separated. Squall bit his lip against a noise of loss, and was vaguely surprised to taste blood. He frowned and pressed his tongue gently against the split in his lip; it was hardly the first time he'd abused his lips to the point of hurting himself, but still. 

Seifer let out a quiet laugh and brushed a hand over one of Squall's wings. Squall pressed against him again, trying not to scowl, and felt a kiss pressed to the top of his head. "They're a physical manifestation of your magic," Seifer murmured. "You should be able to hide them again." 

Squall blinked, only now realising that, yes, he could feel his magic filling the wings, comfortable with the extra space to occupy. When he tried to tug on it, get it to return to resting just under his skin, it tugged right back, snarling. " _Now_ ," Squall snapped. 

"Stubborn," Seifer said with a chuckle. 

Squall pushed back from his knight and glared down at his smile. " _Help_. _Me_ ," he snarled. 

Seifer brushed his fingers against Squall's cheek and calmly pointed out, "No one's going to come in here tonight, so it won't hurt to leave them for now. We can argue with your magic in the morning." He reached up and hit the light control next to the bed, throwing them into near darkness, save for Tonberry's lantern. 

"Nothing good ever came from giving my magic what it wants," Squall muttered, but he laid back down on his knight and let his wings settle over them, like a blanket of feathers. 

Seifer wrapped his arms around Squall, holding him fast in place. "It's something it and I share," he joked. 

"Rather," Squall replied drily to cover his amusement. 

Seifer snorted and pressed another kiss against his hair. "Go to sleep, Squall." 

Squall closed his eyes and let himself relax against the warm body beneath him. 

-0-

.


	10. Burning in the Skies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't made it to Esthar again yet during my current replay of the game, so I'm not even going to _try_ capturing Odine's ridiculous accent. I know, I know. Everyone's upset.

With Seifer's help, Squall was able to coax his magic out of the wings and back under his skin in the morning, which vanished the wings. His magic wasn't happy about it and, honestly, neither was Squall; he hadn't really noticed the ache of containing his magic under his skin until it was gone, too used to it. 

He didn't want to think about how much more it would ache if he wasn't expending some of his magic keeping Shiva and Tonberry in the physical world. 

When he crept into his and Elle's room after he'd got dressed and grabbed his things, he found her sitting on the couch. She gave him a considering look, then turned her attention back to her book and asked, "So, is Seifer moving in here, or are you moving in with him?" 

"What?" was the only response Squall could manage. 

Elle glanced back up, a secretive smile playing around her lips. "Squally, I know what someone looks like when they're creeping back into their room for a change of clothing after a night with their lover." 

"I'm not– That's–"

"I'm happy for you," she promised, and Squall couldn't hide the way he relaxed. "And I'm not surprised; from what I've read, no true Knight Bond has ever remained one of friendship. There's just too much trust involved. Or...well, not that you can't trust your best friend, but–"

"I expect it would be hard to remain just friends when you're half stuck in each other's heads," Squall remarked drily as he started for his room. "I'm getting a change of clothing and taking a shower." 

Elle waited until he was in the bathroom before calling, "Who topped?" 

Squall slammed the door on her laughter and made a mental note to discuss their rooming situation with Seifer the next time they were alone. 

-0-

"Headmaster, Commander," a cadet said, poking her head into the conference room. "Lookout just spotted a large white boat approaching from ahead." 

_'We see them,'_ Shiva agreed. _'It is Alexander, and she is headed for Balamb.'_

"First floor," Squall decided, as he stood, figuring that was about the right height for Alexander to match up to Garden. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be the closest match. 

"Thank you, Cadet Garnett," Cid offered as he joined Squall in heading for the door. 

Seifer beat them, and was leaning against the safety wall with an easy smirk as Beau stared at him, unimpressed. "What did you say?" Squall asked as he and Cid joined him at the safety wall and the six SeeDs on the ship, behind Beau, saluted. 

"I said hello, he glared," Seifer insisted as he straightened. 

_'...close enough,'_ Bahamut decided, while Diablos cackled. 

Squall rolled his eyes and focussed on the SeeDs in front of him. "At ease. Captain Owens, always good to see you." 

Beau raised an eyebrow. "It's Captain Owens, now?" 

"You're glaring at my knight like you want to stick your sword in him," Squall returned drily. "A little less hostility, if you please, Beau." 

Beau snorted. "I heard back from a scout crew that came across him back in November. He stripped them naked before wrapping them in sheets from their ship and tying them to the backs of chocobos. By the time they made it back to where they'd found him, he'd taken off with the scout ship, leaving behind their uniforms and a note saying, 'Better luck next time, kids'." 

Squall ducked his head and covered his mouth, trying to contain his laughter. 

"They tried to accost me!" Seifer complained. "And the one called me 'kid'." 

"Did you at least return the ship?" Squall asked, glancing sideways at his grinning knight. 

"Left it at FH in time for the winter holidays. Figured you lot would pick it up." He deflated slightly, though it was clear, from the sense of him at the back of Squall's mind, that the adventure had been a highlight of his travels. "I didn't know you were in a coma." 

Squall shrugged and glanced back at Beau. The captain tilted his head slightly in question and Squall nodded; he'd forgiven Seifer for his disappearance. "We finally found the scout when we dropped by FH to let them know to expect a couple Gardens." Beau looked at Seifer. "The fishermen kept an eye on it, so we were able to send it right back out. Good call picking that as a dock." 

"Squally, having secret conversations about me while I'm standing right here isn't nice," Seifer complained. 

"Neither is tying SeeDs doing their jobs to the back of chocobos," Squall returned evenly before stepping back and motioning for Beau. "You and your men have permission to dock with Balamb Garden and come aboard, Captain." 

"Much obliged, Commander," Beau replied before turning to the crew on deck and shouting orders to dock alongside Garden. 

Seifer stepped back to stand at Squall's shoulder, close enough to be considered impolite, and murmured, "You thought it was clever." 

"I think you really need to get over that issue you have with superiors calling you names like 'kid'," Squall replied and Seifer scoffed. Squall glanced up at him, allowing a smile to curl his lips. "It _was_ clever, though. And I'm sure it served as a lesson to those SeeDs about the follies of underestimating Garden cadets, even ones that dropped out." 

Seifer rolled his eyes. "I liked you better when you _weren't_ the commander. Now everything's about being a better SeeD." 

Squall snorted, then reached back and grabbed the hand he could feel hovering over his arse. "Don't make me assign you infirmary duty, Almasy." 

"You really need an office so I can come in and rav–"

Squall flicked a Stop at his knight. "Are you through?" he asked drily. 

_'Your Knight would like you to know he still wants to fuck you against your desk,'_ Diablos supplied. _'Also that you're cheating.'_

"You like it when I cheat," Squall pointed out before stepping forward to let Beau hug him and ruffle his hair as the captain stepped onto the balcony. 

"You're looking much better, kid," Beau offered fondly before glancing over Squall's shoulder at the unnaturally still knight. "Stop? Really?" 

Squall flashed him a smile. "He's learned to protect himself against Silence." 

"It's never dull around here," Cid offered with the air of a man becoming used to finding Seifer either frozen in the middle of a hallway, or pinning Squall against the nearest flat surface. He'd been no more surprised than Elle at the development, though he had suggested they conduct themselves with at least some level of professionalism while on the second floor. 

"I'm going to enjoy the next few days," Beau decided. 

"Free Seifer so we can have our meeting," Cid suggested as SeeDs started crossing over from Alexander. 

Squall pointed at Beau. "If you have any records about your people, I'd appreciate them." He turned to one of the SeeDs he knew from his time aboard Alexander as Beau nodded and moved to return to Alexander. "Oliver, take the lift down to the ground floor, take a left at the bottom of the stairs, then the first right into the library. Sis should be in there and happy to show everyone around. If she's not, the librarian on duty should be able to tell you where she is and provide you with a guide." 

Oliver snorted and saluted. "You got it, Commander." 

"How's she doing anyway, Squally?" another SeeD asked as Oliver left to follow Squall's directions. 

"She appears to appreciate the chance to stretch her legs," Squall returned drily, and a number of the crew laughed. He turned to Seifer and met the amused green gaze. "Are you going to behave yourself, or am I sending you down to the infirmary?" 

Seifer's eyes rolled, but Quezacotl said, _'He's promised to behave for the day.'_

"A whole day?" Squall repeated as he tossed an Esuna at his knight. "Surely Miss Heartilly's not _that_ bad." 

"You can only say that because you've never dated her," Seifer muttered, stretching just to prove he could. 

"Yes. I'm simply not that easily swayed by a pretty face." 

"Heartless, Leonhart," Seifer complained. 

Squall snorted and looked over the watching SeeDs. "You're needlessly crowding the balcony. Get inside and wait in the hallway for Sis." 

One SeeD stepped forward, expression nasty, and informed Squall, "I don't care what shiny title they give you, I don't take orders from _sorceresses_."

The SeeD made like he was going to spit at Squall, only to freeze as a gunblade kissed his throat, leaving behind a thin red calling card. Seifer's eyes were hard as he stared at the SeeD along Hyperion's blade. "I would reconsider my stance, were I you, SeeD–"

"Greg Addams," Squall supplied, familiar with the man's dislike for him and more than happy to let his knight have a go at the SeeD. 

"Addams! You were ordered to stay on Alexander!" Beau shouted from the ship. "Get your ass back over here before I let Sir Almasy slit your throat!" 

"Seifer," Squall murmured and the knight reluctantly sheathed Hyperion. 

"I don't like him," Seifer snarled as Addams jumped back over to Alexander and the watching crowd started inside under Squall's blank stare. 

"No," Squall agreed quietly, "I never much did either." He touched Seifer's chest. "Go in there and corral them for me. See if you can't grab a few gawking cadets to help Sis." 

"Can I terrify them?" Seifer requested, eyes lighting with menace. 

"Leave them in something approaching working order," Squall returned and allowed himself a small smile as Seifer stalked off with a whistle that any member of Balamb Garden knew to fear. 

"Shall I collect a clean-up crew for this hallway?" Cid asked as Squall joined him against the safety wall again. 

"Possibly. Though, I think we'd be better served by setting up a revolving door of people in the know, as it were, to sit this door and keep whatever SeeDs have been ordered on board out of Garden, and Seifer away from Alexander." 

Cid sighed and patted Squall's arm as he pushed away from the wall. "I'll meet you in the conference room." 

"Thank you, Uncle Cid!" Squall called after him before looking back towards where Beau was giving orders to the four SeeDs remaining on board Alexander. Three of them, Squall knew, had an issue with what he was. The last one was Margaret Pickett, something of a second-in-command for the Alexander. She and Squall had never been particularly _friendly_ , but she'd never seemed to be friendly with anyone. And, if she'd had an issue with Squall's magic, she'd always kept it to herself. 

Beau finally turned back towards Garden, accepting the hand Squall held down to him to help him cross the gap. "You cleared everyone right out, didn't you?" 

"It got crowded," Squall replied with a shrug. 

Beau chuckled and ruffled his hair before holding out a thick, waterproof case. "My files on everyone who has served on Alexander, as well as any civilians we've taken care of for more than a week." 

Squall peeked inside and whistled. "If only Uncle Cid kept his records so neatly." 

"How long did it take you to go through his?" Beau teased. "Or are you still trying?" 

"A week, but I had Sis's help. And I didn't have to touch any cadet papers unless they were a part of their SeeD file. I expect previous military records are in here?" he asked, aware that most of the Alexander crew had been in the Galbadian or Estharian armies during the Sorceress War. 

"Those I could get," Beau agreed as they started into Garden. "Some of them are highlighted because I suspected their records were partially falsified, but I have no proof either way." 

Squall nodded in understanding. "I'll try to get these back to you by the time we reach FH." 

"I'd appreciate that. Seifer," Beau added as Seifer stepped away from Fujin and Raijin to join them. 

"Beau," Seifer replied cheerfully. 

Squall stopped and pointed at the two cadets sent to guard the door. "If I find out that either of you let Seifer through that door without me, I'll have you cleaning grat guts off the Training Centre floor for a month. Am I clear?" 

They both saluted, Raijin answering, "Understood, Commander!" for both of them. 

Squall turned his stare on his knight. "Don't push me, Seifer." 

"Calm down, Leonhart. I don't see the need to go dirtying Hyperion on those peons." 

Squall snorted and started for the lift. "Peons? Have you actually been spending time with Quisty?" 

Seifer huffed. "You banned me from the second floor." 

"That didn't stop you the first three times." 

"...Elle told me to stop being an ass and let you do your work in peace." 

Beau laughed. 

"Blessed is my sister, for she can actually control Seifer," Squall muttered, looking up towards the ceiling of the lift. 

"Mostly," Seifer insisted. 

Squall snorted. "Yes, well, she's not Hyne." He shoved Seifer as the lift opened on the second floor. "You have permission to be up here for this meeting. Move." 

The meeting, such as it was, didn't take long. The SeeD who had been resting in Trabia's infirmary had been fairly well informed about the state of things before she'd returned to her ship, and she'd taken pains to ensure Beau had known everything. The first thing he'd done was exactly what Squall had wanted: Send out the nearest scout ships to pass on the word that they needed eyes on everything and to reach out to any and all Garden-trained SeeDs they knew the position and situation of. Any important information was to be relayed to Balamb Garden or Alexander, one of which would remain docked at or near FH until things calmed down. 

Cid had been right about one thing: Squall was the only person in SeeD with the knowledge to effectively lead both sections of SeeD. Sorcerer or no. 

"That was fun," Seifer remarked before he gave a loud yawn. Squall rolled his eyes while Cid laughed and Beau covered a smile. "I'm heading down to the cafeteria. Come on, Squally." 

"I have all this paperwork–" Squall managed before Seifer pulled him up. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It can wait an hour," his knight decided. "Come on. You have to walk me to the lift, anyway, or who _knows_ what I might get up to." 

"Fine, I'll come with you to lunch," Squall agreed, letting himself be led from the conference room. "Really?" he added once they were safely ensconced in the lift. 

Seifer shrugged. "I didn't have to be at that meeting," he pointed out. 

"No," Squall agreed, "but there are new people in Garden." 

Seifer raised an eyebrow at him. "Protecting the Alexander's crew?" 

Squall shrugged. "And showing a united front," he admitted before stepping out of the lift and starting down the stairs. 

Seifer snorted, warm at Squall's side. "They're going to catch on that we both do our own things eventually, Leonhart." 

"Our own things, maybe, but the important decisions at least appear to be a dual effort." 

"Only when you let it be," Seifer muttered, but the sense of him in the back of Squall's mind was rolling with amusement. 

He raised an eyebrow at his knight and Seifer smirked in response. Which was about as much as Squall had expected. 

-0-

Beau had been happy to help Squall work on copying the Alexander crew's files over, and Seifer had sent Quistis up the second day, insisting she was getting on his nerves without Elle acting as a barrier between them, since she was off showing the new arrivals around. (Squall was pretty sure his knight was actually being nice, but he didn't question it, just rewarded Seifer by letting his knight fuck him in the common area of the room they were sharing with Elle, secure in the knowledge that she wouldn't be returning for a few hours.) 

Between Quistis, Beau, and Squall himself, the files were copied by the time they reached FH. 

They halted the Gardens within sight of FH and Squall, Seifer, Cid, and Fields got a ride on Alexander to dock ahead, both to figure out where to park the two mobile buildings for any repairs, and to make sure the locals hadn't changed their minds about helping. 

The mayor clearly wasn't too pleased with letting the Gardens dock, but multiple promises to minimise their presence and move out of sight once their repairs were completed went a long way towards appeasing him. (Cid's usual humour may have also contributed, as well as the fact that Squall kept referring to the headmaster as 'Uncle Cid'; Squall couldn't tell if Mayor Dobe was more entertained or reassured at the show that a mercenary could consider someone family.) 

They moved the Gardens in to a couple of rough docks the FH people had put together after Beau had come through before, and Seifer and Squall spent one more night in Balamb before leaving before sunrise the next morning, before anyone could think to come out and see them off. 

"So, how did you want to do this?" Seifer asked once they'd moved down the tracks a ways towards Esthar. Fisherman's Horizon was still in view behind them, just barely. 

Squall shrugged. "Originally, I was just going to use some Haste magic to speed up the trip. But I suspect you have another thought?" 

"You could fly us?" Seifer suggested, glancing towards Squall's back. 

"No," Squall bit out, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to pretend his magic wasn't excited at the prospect. "There's too much a chance that someone might spot us." 

"Someone _who_?" Seifer demanded, waving around at the surrounding empty ocean and tracks. "Leonhart, there's no one out here." 

"There's Esthar," Squall replied, tightening his arms over his chest. 

Seifer stared at him for a beat, then stepped forward and slipped a rough hand into Squall's hair before crashing their mouths together. 

Squall let out a quiet noise of complaint into the blond's mouth before pushing into his knight, unfolding his arms so he could clutch at the other's coat. 

He was only vaguely aware of Seifer's free hand tugging off Squall's bag and jacket, too busy with letting himself get lost in the other man. When Seifer pulled away and roughly yanked Squall's shirt over his head, though, it shocked him out of his distraction. " _No_ ," he snarled, grabbing for his shirt. 

Seifer caught him easily and held the shirt out of his reach. "Squally," he murmured, voice gentle, "I don't care if you fly us, but you need to let your magic free. We've talked about this." 

"In _private_ ," Squall replied, refusing to acknowledge the truth of the matter. 

Seifer dropped his shirt to the rails and wrapped both arms around Squall's waist, trapping him against Seifer's chest. "Come on," he whispered, nudging Squall's head. "Don't think I won't strip you naked and fuck you right here to get what I want, Squall." Because Squall had tried, but he honestly couldn't keep his wings hidden when he came. Which Seifer had used against him twice before he got Squall to promise that he'd let his wings out once they were behind the closed door of their bedroom. 

Squall closed his eyes and pressed tight against Seifer's chest as he let his magic loose. He felt the wings bloom from his back, never painful, but it always felt a little odd. 

"There you are," Seifer murmured and let go of Squall to gently brush his hands over the feathers. He left them after a long moment and stepped back, cupping Squall's face and making him look up into the admiring green gaze. "You're stunning." 

Squall tugged away with a scowl. "Shut up," he ordered before glancing over his shoulder at the grey wings, their metallic shine even more obvious in the light of the rising sun. He stretched them out, seeing the width of them for the first time, with no dorm walls in the way, and was unsurprised to find that each wing was easily twice as long as his arm. 

Seifer was right, they _were_ stunning. 

He leaned down to collect his bag and jacket, secretly pleased at the way the large wings countered the change in his balance without a misstep. He'd noticed that about them, actually, that they were very good at doing exactly what he needed them to do, even when he wasn't quite sure what that might be. He knew it was his magic, reacting to both conscious and unconscious movements, rather than himself that directed his wings to move, which was for the best, really, because he had no idea how to manage wings. 

"We're not flying," Squall said as he stuffed his jacket into his bag. "I'll Haste us." 

"How fast is your Haste?" Seifer asked, handing over Squall's shirt. 

Squall stuffed it in his bag and tugged it closed. "Oh, not much faster than the para-magic version," he said, uncaring. 

"Helpful." 

Squall allowed a mean little smile as he held his bag out towards his knight. "I can't carry that." He shifted his wings pointedly. 

"So I'm the pack mule to your hawk?" Seifer joked as he fussed with the straps on Squall's pack so he could carry it with his own. 

"Hawk?" Squall murmured, glancing back at his wings. 

"Would you prefer seagull?" Seifer asked, amusement warm at the back of Squall's mind. 

Squall snorted and stepped into Seifer's space, pressing one hand against the blue waistcoat, directly over his heart. Seifer watched him with a faint smile, unflinching in his trust. "I can stack Hastes," Squall murmured and smiled as Seifer's eyes went wide in understanding. "Do you think we can reach the far end of these tracks by sunset?" 

Seifer chuckled and pressed his own hand against Squall's over his heart. "I think we're going to try." 

"Yes," Squall agreed as his magic filled them both with multiple Hastes, "I think we are." 

-0-

By all accounts, they should have been able to see Esthar at the western edge of the Great Salt Lake, but the only view was one of death and empty sky. 

"Well, this is promising," Squall murmured while Seifer picked up a bone and threw it ahead of them. It bounced off a large tusk and fell to the ground with a silent clatter of shifting bones. 

_'There is a city,'_ Bahamut insisted. _'I saw it when I was looking for the scout ship. It's large, and very blue.'_

Seifer waved at the sky above the salt lake. "I do see the blue." 

_'It shone in the light of the moon,'_ Bahamut added, apparently deciding not to rise to Seifer's bait. 

"Shut up," Squall ordered before Seifer could reply. He closed his eyes and ordered his magic back into his body – whether they could see Esthar or not hardly mattered; they were close enough that Squall needed to hide his wings, then they could hunt the city down. 

Seifer caught him when he swayed, body aching from forcing his magic back into too small a space. "Are you sure–?"

"Yes." Squall opened his eyes and looked up into the worried green eyes. "Give me my things," he ordered and pulled open his pack to pull out a shirt and his jacket once Seifer had handed it over. "There has to be some sort of access to the city at ground level, because Estharians have left Esthar as recently as two months ago." 

Seifer sighed and looked back towards the missing city; he'd been there when Squall had been told that information by the FH mechanics working on Balamb. "And if it's only one-way?" he asked. 

"I'll no longer feel bad about having Bahamut fly us there." 

_'I think you should call Eden, instead,'_ Diablos suggested, voice low and mean. _'She would make far more of an impression.'_

_'Are you suggesting I'm not scary enough?'_ Bahamut snarled. 

"Shut up," Seifer snapped. 

Squall rolled his eyes and started into the Great Salt Lake. He hadn't bothered reapplying the Haste on either of them after they'd woken in the station at the end of the tracks, and, considering the uncertainty of the footing ahead, it was probably best if they moved at a more normal speed through the piles of bones and cliffs of white sediment. 

Seifer caught up to him quickly enough, wordlessly taking point. Squall didn't bother complaining, resigning himself to playing support to his knight's protective nature. 

It took them probably about two hours to make their way through the white corridors, fighting off monsters that were unwise enough to think two humans would be easy prey. 

At the far end of the lake, they found a sheer drop, with flat plains far below. 

_'This is wrong,'_ Bahamut insisted. 

Seifer thrust Hyperion forward and it rang out against some sort of solid barrier. "A wall putting out an illusion," he realised, glancing back at Squall. "Impressive technology." 

"It is," Squall agreed, looking up towards where he could see clouds moving in the sky, no break in their movement to suggest where the wall ended. "How far up does it go, though?" 

"And is there a way past it?" Seifer agreed, pressing his hand against the wall and looking along it with a frown. "I'm not sure I want to play tourist long enough to find out." 

Squall snorted and backed up. "Time is not something we have an infinite amount of. Let's just hope they're slightly less trigger happy than your average city. Bahamut?" 

"I'm pretty sure Esthar is not an 'average city'," Seifer muttered as the dragon GF appeared above them. 

_"Come,"_ Bahamut said, holding down his claws to Squall and Seifer. _"If they choose to react with violence, we are capable of responding with the same."_

"I'd rather not start a second war when we're in the middle of the first one," Squall complained as he stepped into Bahamut's hold. Seifer was far more cautious about approaching the sharp claws, but did so all the same. 

"Let's try dodging before we shoot back," Seifer suggested. "At least at first." 

Squall sighed and opened his mouth to insist there was no 'at first' involved, but then they cleared the top of the illusion wall and a sparkling city of blue stretched out under them. "Hyne," he whispered, awed. 

"Okay," Seifer said, voice carefully modulated, "I'll give you that it's blue." 

_"Do not give me cause to drop you, Knight,"_ Bahamut threatened. 

"Over there," Squall called, pointing towards what appeared to be some sort of landing platform just slightly south of them. 

Bahamut banked obediently and landed lightly on the platform. It was definitely a landing platform of some kind, judging by the abandoned fuelling system and what he thought were landing clamps, though Squall couldn't begin to guess what sort of craft would require such. 

"Thank you, Bahamut," Squall murmured as the dragon set him and Seifer on the ground. 

Bahamut inclined his head and vanished back into Squall's mind. 

Almost as soon as Bahamut vanished, figures in silver and purple armour hurried out of a set of large doors just ahead, pickaxe-shaped weapons held in their hands. Squall glanced at Seifer, feeling his irritation, and shook his head, slowly raising his hands in a show of surrender. "We're looking for Dr Odine," Squall announced. "We have some questions for him about some work he did seventeen years ago." 

One of the figures stopped in front of Squall and lowered their weapon. "Who are you?" they demanded, voice sounding almost mechanical through the speakers of the armour. 

"SeeD Commander Squall Leonhart. That's SeeD Seifer Almasy." 

The figure didn't move for a long moment, then it holstered its weapon and held out its hands. "You must surrender your weapons before you will be escorted through the city to Dr Odine's laboratory." 

"The hell–"

"Seifer!" Squall snapped, shooting his knight a warning look. "We're not here to start a fight." 

Seifer held his gaze for a long breath, fury raging in green eyes, even as a helpless feeling curled against the back of Squall's mind. Finally, Seifer looked away and smoothly unbuckled Hyperion's sheath before holding it out to the nearest soldier. 

Squall unbuckled Sheer Trigger and held it out to the soldier in front of him, who took it with a stiff nod before turning and starting towards the doors. "Follow," they ordered without looking back. 

"Friendly place," Seifer hissed as he stepped up to Squall's side. 

"We would do the same thing if someone found a way into Garden and said they needed to speak to Uncle Cid," Squall pointed out quietly. 

Seifer grunted. "It was the dragon that did it. Fucking Bahamut." 

_'More likely it was your general bearing,'_ Bahamut shot back. 

_'No, no, he's not that scary,'_ Diablos commented cheerfully. _'It was absolutely you.'_

Seifer ground his teeth and Squall bit his cheek to keep from smiling; it was clear his knight wanted to reply, but didn't want to be caught talking to himself by the soldiers around them. He sent a general sense of disapproval towards his GFs on Seifer's behalf. 

_'Apologies, Sorcerer,'_ Bahamut offered. _'We will behave.'_

_' **You'll** behave,'_ Diablos insisted. _'I, on the other hand–'_

_'Will behave,'_ Eden suggested pleasantly. 

Diablos shrank down behind Sacred and Minotaur and kept his mouth shut. 

It didn't take them particularly long to get to the laboratory. People walking through the city – all wearing long robes, Squall noticed – stopped to stare as the group passed. From the number of looks the soldiers got, it appeared that it wasn't common to see them in the city, which was an interesting comment on the state of things in Esthar. 

Most of the soldiers remained outside when they reached the squat building that was labelled 'Odine's Laboratory' on the walkway, including both soldiers holding their gunblades. Seifer tensed next to Squall as they were ushered away from the weapons, and it took a great deal of control for Squall to not do the same; it was hardly the first time Sheer Trigger had been out of his sight, but that didn't mean he had to like it. 

A short man wearing a large red and white collar awaited them. "You have asked to see me?" he demanded, stepping around the soldier who was in the lead and stopping directly in front of Squall, staring up at him through beady eyes. "I am very busy. Be quick!" 

Squall raised an eyebrow at the man, but obediently summarised, "There is a sorceress from the future possessing a current sorceress via a means which my sister, Ellone, likens to an ability she was born with. We hoped you might know of a way to reverse the possessing sorceress' control, if not stop it entirely from our end." 

Odine blinked at him a couple times before declaring, "I would have more tests to run on Ellone–"

"No tests," Squall snapped, feeling Seifer tense just behind his left shoulder. "We need an answer based on what you know now, or for you to tell us there isn't a way." 

"Ah, but I would have an answer for you, if only–"

"Maybe Squall wasn't clear," Seifer snarled, only remaining where he was because Squall had held out an arm to block him. "Elle isn't coming anywhere near you or your fucking lab. She's not some fucking _rat_."

"Well said," a voice called from behind them, and Squall sensed two new people coming up behind them, steps different from the mechanical stride of the soldiers. Seifer turned to look, but Squall remained staring down at Odine, certain the newcomers would come into his view soon enough and trusting his knight to let him know if they looked like trouble. "As I've told you before, Odine, I cannot condone human experimentation, and I _absolutely_ won't let you run any more tests on Elle." 

The man who stopped just to Squall's right was a few centimetres taller than him, with long dark hair that was tied back in a loose ponytail. He wasn't wearing a robe like most of the Estharians they seen, but rather a white button-up shirt and tan slacks. The other man stopped just beyond the first, dark skin marking him as someone from central Galbadia. He easily topped Seifer in height, and while the robes he wore hid it, Squall could tell from the way he walked that he was more than capable of holding his own in a fight. 

"You must be Laguna Loire," Squall assumed, looking at the first man. 

He looked surprised, then offered a sheepish smile. "I guess Elle mentioned me." 

"Eventually," Squall agreed drily. "I promised to let you know, on her behalf, that she's happy and safe." 

"Not that safe, if there's another sorceress running around," Laguna pointed out. 

Seifer snorted. "I don't think even that bitch is stupid enough to take on half of SeeD." 

Squall shot his knight a look. "Depending on what she intends to do with Sis once she's got her, she might just consider it worth the risk. We don't know enough about her plans to expect anything one way or the other, Almasy." 

"And you need to learn to trust your people, _Commander_ ," Seifer shot back, unbothered, before he snorted and shook his head. "Squall, it's not like she can throw Ultimas around." 

" _Yet_. And Matron's ice is plenty dangerous." 

"Matron's ice doesn't _explode_ ," Seifer insisted. "And she's had Matron for how long now? Six months?" 

Squall closed his eyes and nodded, seeing where Seifer was going. 

"She managed _a_ Stop, Leonhart. I think we'll be fine." 

"Leonhart?" Laguna repeated, and when Squall spun back to look at the man, he found himself being studied by both Laguna and the dark-skinned man he'd come in with. "Hyne," Laguna whispered, realisation filling his eyes. "Raine had a _son_?"

And then he squatted on the ground and hugged his right leg, moaning pitifully. 

Seifer, who Squall had told about Elle's confession as to his parentage and was an asshole, burst out laughing. 

Squall rubbed tiredly at the scar between his eyes and turned back to Odine, who was watching the drama with wide eyes. "Anything you know about my sister's abilities, Dr Odine, if you please. We're in the middle of a war and don't have time for this _childish behaviour_." The last was aimed at Seifer who clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes dancing with amusement. 

Odine sighed and turned away, twitching a finger over one shoulder in a request for Squall to follow. "This way, then. I will show you my findings, but they will be not of much use to you." 

"Perhaps," Squall replied as he followed the scientist. Seifer followed after, leaving Laguna and his companion to sort themselves out. 

Odine's notes were, admittedly, a bit more complicated than Squall had the time to sort through right then. He almost convinced himself that the possession magic their current sorceress was using wasn't Elle's, but then he saw the note that Elle hadn't been able to use her gift to send Adel back to anyone. 

"Is it possible," he asked, half musing aloud, half to Odine, "that Sis's ability didn't work on Adel because Sis didn't know any other sorceresses?" 

"What brings you to that conclusion?" Odine asked even as Seifer's eyes widened in understanding. 

Squall turned to Odine, fingers wrapping thoughtlessly in the chain of his necklace. "There were plenty of people who would have been a better choice to try possessing than Matron, but that's who she picked. And it would make sense that a sorceress couldn't possess someone who couldn't manage their powers, though, right? I mean, it takes ages to learn to use para-magic; if you don't have Sorceress Magic of your own, you won't know how to use it, or how to keep it from using you." 

"But, then, why not a potential sorceress?" Laguna asked from the doorway, frowning. 

Squall shook his head. "It's not about potential, though, it's about training. Everyone has potential to use para-magic, but that doesn't mean they won't blow themselves up the first time you let them cast Fire." 

"Ellone could send someone equipped with para-magic back to someone who had never used it before," Odine informed them. "This is same." 

"It's really not," Seifer disagreed. "Sorceress Magic is a living thing, like a Guardian Force. It takes up space in the host's head, is a part of them, like, uh...a third arm!" 

Squall rolled his eyes. "Like their wings," he suggested and Seifer flashed him a grin. "She can't use her ability to possess animals, you found. You hypothesised it was because animals don't have the mental capacity to contain a human brain; I hypothesise that your average human isn't advanced enough to be possessed by a sorceress." 

"This is a fascinating idea!" Odine declared. "I must bring a sorceress here to test it!" 

"Here?" Seifer demanded, voice sharp. "Why 'here', Odine? Why not to Elle?" 

Odine waved him off. "I have created a machine to be as Ellone." 

Seifer had Odine shoved up against the nearest wall, a knife at his throat, before Squall realised he was going to react. "This is _your fault_?" the knight snarled. "Squall was tortured because of _you_?!"

" _Seifer_!" Squall barked, himself and his GFs straining against his furious magic. Given, he wasn't too pleased by this discovery, but there wasn't anything that could be done about it now, and he needed Seifer to calm down before either the knight or Squall's magic did something they'd all regret. 

Seifer snarled wordlessly and let Odine go. Then he stormed back over to Squall and wrapped him in his arms, pressing his nose into Squall's hair. 

Squall sighed and returned the tight hug as his magic calmed back down, relieved. The sense of Seifer at the back of his mind was still rumbling with fury, but it was tempered by concern. 

_'Sorry to interrupt, Sorceress, Knight, but I know you would wish to be informed,'_ Shiva announced and both Squall and Seifer tensed at the serious note to her voice. _'A contingent of Galbadian soldiers just came through FH. They were looking for Sis, and threatened to burn down the town if she wasn't handed over immediately. They were subdued with no damage to FH, but the ones we captured said one of them started back towards the mainland before they made themselves known, to report that the Gardens are here. SeeDs were sent after him, but there's no guarantee they'll catch him before he can pass on the news.'_

"We need to get back to FH," Seifer realised, pulling back and looking down at Squall. 

"Quickly," Squall agreed before pulling out of his knight's hold and turning to where Odine was leaning against the wall, rubbing his throat. "I would appreciate a mobile copy of all your findings so I can finish looking them over back at Garden, Dr Odine. Preferably paper, since that's easier to keep out of the hands of curious cadets." 

"I am not sure–" Odine started before flinching back when Seifer spun and snarled at him. 

"Dr Odine would be happy to print you a copy of his findings," Laguna announced with a bright smile under watchful eyes. "In the meantime, how about some lunch?" 

"We don't really have time for lunch," Squall replied, trying to sound apologetic. "But the offer is appreciated." 

Laguna sighed. "It wasn't, actually, a request." 

"And that wasn't an idle refusal," Squall returned, rubbing at the scar between his eyes. "We just received word that one of the sorceress' agents is aware that my people are stationed at FH. She will very likely know within three days." 

"In other words," Seifer said, voice honeyed poison, "we don't have the time for polite chit-chat over whatever counts for lunch around here." 

Laguna stared at them for a minute, disbelieving, before he looked at Odine, who appeared equally perturbed. "I want an update on the Tomb," he ordered. 

Seifer and Squall traded confused looks as Odine typed a quick message. "There is something wrong with these people," Seifer muttered. 

"The Lunar Gate reports no sign of problems. They will send enquiry to the base, but we will not hear back for some time yet," Odine reported before looking at Squall. "You have a way to communicate with others that is not through ground wires or affected by the interference?" 

" _That's_ what's got you squawking?" Seifer demanded. 

Squall cocked his head to the side. "I'll trade my answer for your files, quickly." He glanced at Laguna. " _No_ lunch." 

Laguna looked torn. It was the dark-skinned man who replied, "We agree, Commander. Dr Odine, if you would." He turned dark eyes on Squall and Seifer. "Your answer." 

Squall tapped his head. "I have an unusual connection with my GFs; Shiva is currently stationed at FH with my people, acting as a go-between for information." 

Odine looked over, eyes greedy, and Seifer stepped between Squall and the scientist, practically seething with protective fury. "Over my dead body," he promised. 

"I wasn't aware such could be possible," the dark-skinned man said to Squall, frowning. 

Squall shrugged. "I have no explanation for the ability, it's simply something I've always been able to do. It's serving us well at the moment." 

"I can imagine," Laguna murmured. 

"Squally," Seifer called, realisation and concern dancing over the sense of him at the back of Squall's mind. 

Squall shot him a questioning look. 

"If she's sending soldiers to FH, it's likely she's doing the same to other towns, threatening to burn them down if they don't give up Elle." 

Squall closed his eyes; he hadn't even thought of that. "Shiva, tell Cid and Beau we need to start deploying SeeDs along the coastal towns; they'll be her first targets. Make sure everyone is well-stocked with Water magic." 

_'I will see it done. What are your orders if they are too late?'_

"Search for survivors and get them back to Garden." 

"Doc K is going to _love_ you for that one," Seifer teased. 

Squall shook his head. "She'll make do. And Trabia's doctor can take part of the burden." 

_'They will be away before you return,'_ Shiva promised. 

"Thank you." Squall sighed and tugged on his necklace. "We'll take Bahamut back. If we get out of here quickly enough, we may be able to catch that Galbadian before he reaches the mainland." 

_'And then I can eat him,'_ Bahamut agreed. 

Squall shrugged. "If that's really what you want to do, I won't stop you." 

"Mmm, crunchy Galbadian. I bet he'd taste better with a little char–" Seifer started before snapping his mouth shut when Squall pinned him with an unimpressed look. "Hey, _I_ am not the one saying I want to eat people," he pointed out. 

"You're also not a dragon." 

"You know, if you start letting him eat people–"

"Shut up, Almasy, or you're on infirmary duty." 

"In Trabia?" 

"In _Balamb_. With Miss Heartilly." 

"It is done!" Odine called, walking over with a stack of loose paper. "Take these, make him–" he pointed at Seifer, who offered a wide smile with too much teeth in response "–leave." 

Squall nodded and rolled the stack as he easily swung his pack off one shoulder and caught it with the other hand to pull open. "Much obliged, Dr Odine. Seifer, let's go." 

The dark-skinned man caught them up before they reached the exit of the laboratory, Laguna not far behind. "I expect you're returning to the Airstation?" 

Squall blinked. "Where we arrived?" he asked and the man nodded. "Yes. I see no reason to call Bahamut on the walkway and terrify your people." 

"We appreciate that," the man replied. Once they were outside, he called to the soldiers waiting there, "Return their weapons. President Laguna and I will see them back to the Airstation so they can leave." 

Squall paused to accept Sheer Trigger back and took the chance to look back at Laguna, vaguely surprised. He'd expected that his father had some pull in the city, since he'd come to meet them at the lab and Odine had allowed himself to be ordered around by him, but he hadn't expected him to be the _president_.

The walk back to the Airstation was quiet, Seifer and Squall setting a quick pace, with Laguna and his companion taking pains to keep up. 

On the landing pad, Squall called, "Bahamut," and the dragon appeared. 

"Squall," Laguna said behind him, voice quiet and uncertain. 

Squall resisted the urge to sigh and turned to look at his father. "President Loire," he replied, keeping his tone bland. 

Laguna slumped slightly. "Was your mother called Raine? Of Winhill?" 

Squall shrugged and nodded. "That's what Sis – Elle – told me." 

Laguna closed his eyes, and Squall started back towards Bahamut. "Did she say who your father was?" Laguna called after him as Bahamut picked him up. 

Squall offered his father a faint smile. "You are," he replied before ordering his GF, "Let's go." 

Bahamut took off, leaving Laguna's shocked stare behind. 

-0-

.


	11. Colour of Your Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it was necessary that I leave this chapter where I do. XD

Alexander was already gone, packed with SeeDs meant for the mainland, when they returned. After a forced nap, courtesy of an overprotective knight, Squall spent the next couple days alternating between reading through Odine's notes and keeping up with the FH technicians' work. When the reports from from scout ships started coming in on the second day, he moved his work out to the dock, so the SeeDs didn't have to make their way up to Garden and make the locals nervous. (Seifer seemed to appreciate the change, as he could join him and fish nearby, or chat with Elle when she joined them.)

On the sixth day, the repairs were completed and Balamb and Trabia moved down the tracks, towards Galbadia, until they were out of sight of FH. There, they rigged up a pass way between buildings and Fields joined Squall, Seifer, Cid, and Beau – who had returned the day before – up in the Balamb Garden conference room. (Which was no longer a shared office, thankfully, as the FH technicians had kindly knocked out a few walls and built Cid and Squall new offices on opposite sides of what had once been Cid's office and was now the bridge.) 

"Was the scientist in Esthar of any use?" Fields asked a bit helplessly. 

Squall sighed and shook his head, tapping a finger against the stack of papers that he'd dropped in front of him when he'd sat. He'd gone over everything at least twice, and he still didn't have anything useful to help them out. "If this was Sis, she would eventually have to break the connection because it would exhaust her, but if the sorceress is using Odine's damned machine, it's very likely she can keep up the contact indefinitely." 

"Or at least until some determined SeeD knocks down her front door," Seifer muttered. 

Beau shook his head. "It's very likely that anyone who _could_ have stopped her in her time has already failed." 

"There's got to be _something_ we can do," Cid whispered, looking completely run down. 

Someone knocked on the door and they all looked up as it opened to admit Elle, Laguna and the dark-skinned man (who Elle had said was named Kiros) behind her. "Sorry to interrupt," she offered with a bright smile, "but some allies showed up asking if they could lend a hand." 

"Oh? We have allies?" Beau asked sarcastically. 

"What sort of help are you offering, President Loire?" Squall asked, and Seifer chuckled behind him when the other three at the table all jerked in surprise. "Apologies, everyone. President Laguna Loire of Esthar and Kiros Seagill, meet Headmistress Angelica Fields of Trabia Garden, Headmaster Cid Kramer of Balamb Garden, and Captain Beau Owens of the SeeD ship Alexander." 

Everyone sort of traded stiff nods before Laguna cleared his throat and stepped around Elle. "I know you said something about needing to protect coastal towns, so we bought Estharian soldiers with us to lend out. Maybe cover some towns further inland." 

"Sis, go into my office, get me the map on the wall," Squall ordered, mind already racing to figure out how many more towns they could protect with the additional help. 

"How many soldiers did you bring?" Seifer asked, even as Beau pointed out, "A lot of those towns aren't going to react well to seeing Estharian soldiers running around." 

"The way the Galbadians are acting, I suspect they'll be more welcoming than we think," Fields pointed out. 

"About eighty," Laguna said. 

There followed a moment of silence, then Fields turned to Squall and said, "Remind me never to doubt your ability to lead SeeD again." 

"You doubted me?" Squall returned drily as Elle slipped back into the room and hurried over to Squall with the map marked with troop placements. "You two may as well come in," he added to his father and Kiros. 

As the Estharian duo entered the conference room, Squall stood and leaned over the table, pushing the map into the centre so everyone could see it. "The sorceress knows that Sis was somewhere along the coast last year, and very likely is aware that she travels by ship, which is why I believe she'll focus on coastal towns. If the Estharians can agree to listen to a SeeD, we can spread them out and keep the locals from thinking Adel's come back, or whatever they want to call it." 

"We'll talk to them," Kiros agreed. 

"Excellent." Squall glanced up. "Did you come in ships, or–"

"Ships." 

Squall pointed at Beau. "I know you just got back, but I'm sending Alexander back out to lead the Estharians around to the various towns. Try to keep it at a one SeeD to three Estharians ratio, but use your best judgement if anyone is being difficult." 

Beau let out a put-upon sigh and flopped back against his chair. "But I'm _tired_ , kid." 

Squall rolled his eyes, aware that the man was just putting on a show. "Thank you, Beau." 

Beau snorted and leaned forward to take the map. "Did you want me to leave now?" 

Squall sighed and dropped back into his chair. Seifer caught it so he didn't go flying backwards as he said, "Unless someone has an idea for how to deal with the bitch." 

Beau pointed at Seifer. "I don't take orders from you, Almasy." 

"Shut up," Squall muttered before his knight could respond. 

"Do you know what this sorceress is looking for? What her plans are?" Kiros requested as he and Laguna settled at the table. 

"For the most part," Squall agreed, sitting up straight and holding up three fingers. "She wants Sis for some reason, she wants to destroy SeeD, and she wants to destroy the world." 

Laguna moaned. "I don't like it when Odine's right," he complained. 

Kiros absently patted Laguna's shoulder. "Dr Odine suspects this sorceress is attempting to create something he calls, I believe, 'Time Compression'. He hypothesises that, if a sorceress casts the same spell at three different points in time, it will create a paradox and time will collapse upon itself. Depending on the strength of the sorceress, this may result in an area where only she and some chosen few can exist." 

"...do we want to know how he reached this conclusion?" Seifer asked into the silence, sounding like he really didn't want to know. 

"I didn't ask," Laguna admitted with a helpless shrug. 

"So she would need Ellone to send her back a second time and complete this 'Time Compression'," Fields observed. "I'm not sure how this helps us, beyond knowing we need to keep Ellone away from her." 

"Which we were already doing," Beau added. 

"Dr Odine believes that, if you were standing at the centre of the paradox when it occurred, you would be able to ride along it to where the sorceress resides and exist for a short time in the place that she created. Kill her, the paradox should heal itself." 

"Time travel," Seifer murmured and Squall nodded in understanding. 

"What are the chances of this working?" Fields asked. 

Laguna gave them a helpless shrug. "I have no idea. Dr Odine thinks it can't go wrong, and he's usually right when he comes up with these crazy ideas, but it's not like anything like this has ever been done before." 

"And it's not like we have much choice," Squall offered quietly. When everyone looked at him, questions in their eyes, he explained, "We can't destroy her as she is now; she'll just hop to another sorceress if we kill Matron, and again if we kill that host. Sorceress Magic doesn't die, and if the successor is struggling to adapt to her new magic, she'll be completely defenceless against this sorceress. 

"The longer we let her reign, the more damage she'll do. SeeD can't be expected to run damage control forever, and there are cadets and some of our people trying to stay under the radar in Galbadia Garden right now. The sooner we can deal with her, the sooner we can get them to safety, and we _do_ need to get them to safety." 

"Agreed," Fields said, voice quiet, while Cid rubbed at his face across from her; he'd been in the room the first time Tonberry had reported what some bored Galbadian soldiers had done to a female cadet they'd cornered. 

"How do you want to handle this?" Beau asked. "We can hold off on deploying the Estharians." 

"It's going to take us a day or two to figure out where Galbadia Garden is right now, anyway," Seifer pointed out. "Squall can send Shiva with you and, once you're clear, you can meet up with us." He squeezed Squall's shoulder, and Squall glanced back at him. "Going ahead to meet her on Alexander should cut down on potential casualties." 

"I figured as much," Squall agreed before looking over the table again. "Sis will come with us on Alexander. We'll have to come up with some sort of signal you can let out to tell Balamb and Trabia to move in and deal with the Galbadian soldiers, in case there's no obvious tell that we've managed what we came for, but that can wait until later. For now, Captain Owens, if you would gather your men and kindly get out of my Garden, I'd be grateful." 

"Cold, kid," Beau said with a laugh as he rose. He looked at Laguna and Kiros and asked, "Who's coming down with me to make sure your people don't think I'm blowing air out my ass?" 

"I will do so," Kiros replied, standing gracefully. "Laguna, stay where I can find you," he added, eyeing the president knowingly. 

"Check the cafeteria when you're done," Elle suggested. "Anyone in Garden can point you the right way." 

Laguna perked up and turned to Squall. "Ha! I told you lunch wasn't a request!" 

Squall groaned and rubbed at his eyes. Seifer snorted and called, "On second thought, come back up here when you're done. Elle, give the man your ID so the lift will let him back up." Then he squeezed Squall's shoulder and reminded him, "Shiva." 

Squall glanced to the side and Shiva obediently appeared. "If you would, Shiva." 

_"It is my pleasure,"_ she promised before following Beau and Kiros from the room. 

They spent a few minutes more discussing how to handle Galbadia Garden, Cid clearly desperate to get things hammered out before Squall left. 

Finally, Fields stood in a rush and declared, "Cid, we have plenty of time to hash the details out later. Right now, I'm hungry, and the Commander needs to stop avoiding his family lunch. We're _done_."

Cid glanced towards Squall, and Seifer started laughing behind him. Squall rolled his eyes at his knight and promised the headmaster, "I'll write something out for you this afternoon, and we can spend tomorrow going over it. Go downstairs and get something to eat. And tell the kitchen to send up something for five, so I don't have to steal from the bridge crew." 

"Cafeteria balcony's out of the water right now," Seifer added cheerfully to Cid. "You should go get some fresh air. Hyne alone knows how badly you need it." 

Cid sighed and nodded. "You're not wrong," he admitted as he stood. "Angelica, are you staying on Balamb, or heading back across?" he asked as the two heads started for the door. 

"Oh, I suppose you're closer..." 

Elle shifted down two seats so she could sit in Cid's recently vacated chair. "Do you think this will work?" she asked, expression troubled. 

"I think we're on the right track," Squall offered. 

"There's time travel involved in this," Seifer added, moving his chair to slide between Elle and Squall. "Squall and I have known that for a while now." 

"You have?" Laguna asked curiously as he slid into Fields' abandoned chair, next to Squall. (Squall didn't need to feel his knight's amusement to realise that Seifer had moved between him and Elle just so Squall would end up sitting next to his father.) 

Squall stared at his father for a long moment, trying to decide what to tell the man. 

_'He'll discover the truth eventually,'_ Quezacotl pointed out. _'He seems the sort to want to know you.'_

_'I think you should just lie to him through your teeth,'_ Diablos announced. _'He looks gullible.'_

"Diablos, go to hell," Seifer snarled. 

Squall blinked and looked over at his knight, surprised. 

Seifer reached up and brushed his oddly un-gloved fingers against Squall's cheek. "I agree with Quezacotl." He grimaced. "For once." 

Squall held his knight's gaze for a long moment, drawing strength from the calmness in the familiar green eyes, before he turned to Laguna and quietly explained, "I'm a sorcerer. The sorceress I got my powers from when I was five, is the same sorceress possessing Matron now." 

Laguna's eyes had gone wide, but he was saved from answering by the door opening and a cadet stepping cheerfully in, bearing a platter with cafeteria food. Kiros was behind her, carrying a smaller tray with drinks and wearing a wry smile. 

"Commander, do you mind if I–?" the cadet started hopefully, eyeing the stack of hot dogs that the cafeteria always sent up when Squall or Cid requested food. 

Squall rolled his eyes. "By all means, Cadet Garnett. Take two." 

She flashed him a bright grin and wasted no time in escaping with her prize. 

As Kiros settled next to Laguna, the president looked up at him and complained, "Ward won the bet." 

Squall blinked and looked over at the two disbelievingly. Had Laguna and his friends...? 

"So," Kiros said as he set the tray of drinks next to the platter of food, "you're a sorceress. Or sorcerer?" 

Apparently they had. Squall sighed and tried to ignore Seifer's amusement at the back of his mind. "Seifer prefers sorcerer, but I've never cared." 

"What gave him away?" Seifer asked, amusement obvious in his voice. "It was the GFs, wasn't it?" 

Kiros shook his head. "Commander Leonhart's familiarity with Sorceress Magic, coupled with your protectiveness, Sir Almasy." 

Seifer huffed. "Oh, come on. That crazy freak deserved a little scare." 

Laguna let out a nervous laugh. "Well, yes. But most people can resist the urge to hold a knife to his throat." 

"Seifer doesn't have that sort of self-control," Squall deadpanned and Elle laughed. 

Seifer leaned forward to get a drink and flashed Squall a smug smile when he glanced over. "You love my lack of self-control, Squally." 

Squall raised an eyebrow at him, then glanced past him to Elle. "Sis, could you go grab a cadet for me? Have them collect Kadowaki; I think Seifer's hallucinating." 

Elle shook her head, grinning, and stole Seifer's drink when he sat back up. He let out a huff and leaned back across the table to get another one for himself. "I think he'll live," she declared. 

"Is that your professional opinion, Dr Ellone?" Seifer asked, amusement warm at the back of Squall's mind. 

"It is," Elle agreed, tossing her chin up and trying to look official. 

Laguna burst out laughing and Squall allowed a snort. "I supposed that will have to suffice," he decided, keeping his tone dry and refusing to look at Seifer, who he could _feel_ smirking at him. "If he starts acting oddly, however, I may have to seek a second opinion." 

_'My opinion–'_ Diablos started. 

"No one cares about your opinion, Diablos," Seifer shot back. "In fact, why don't you just take your opinion and–"

"I don't have to junction you any more, Diablos," Squall pointed out. "Stop pissing Seifer off." 

"Seifer can hear Squall's GFs," Elle explained to Laguna and Kiros while Diablos curled up in the back of Squall's mind, clearly showing he was going to behave. For the moment. 

"That's interesting," Kiros replied and Squall glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "Can you hear his GFs?" 

Squall shrugged. "Not so far. But Seifer hasn't heard them either." He glanced over at his knight. 

Seifer shrugged himself. "I can sense them in a way that I never sensed Ifrit, but, no, I can't communicate with them. That's Squall's trick." 

"I didn't realise you'd junctioned anyone," Elle admitted, frowning. "You're not worried about the memory loss?" 

"I haven't noticed any loss," Seifer replied carelessly, though Squall knew his knight worried about the possibility. Still, he'd been junctioning Cerberus since shortly after they'd started sleeping together, and had junctioned Alexander when a scout ship dropped him off a few days before, and he hadn't lost any of the memories he took pains to keep tabs on. Nor had he lost the memories Squall knew he'd have been happy to forget, so they were both beginning to accept that, while Squall's magic wasn't connecting them to Seifer's GFs the way it did to Squall's, it was supporting them sufficiently that they weren't touching Seifer's memories. Which was a better outcome than they'd hoped for. 

Squall shrugged when Elle turned her frown on him, but was saved from answering by Laguna suddenly bursting out with, "Do you have wings?" 

Squall blinked a few times, then turned to his father. "Why?" he asked, honestly curious why that even came up. 

Laguna looked uncomfortable. "I just...you mentioned them, in Odine's lab, so I thought...I'd ask..." 

Squall blinked again, still confused about why it mattered. "He does," Seifer supplied, amused. 

"What?!" Elle reached forward and shoved at Squall's arm. "How come I've never heard anything about this?" she demanded when he looked over at her. 

"I don't–" Squall groaned and rubbed at his forehead. "It's not that big of a deal, Sis." 

"It is," Kiros murmured. When Squall looked over at him, he explained, "Esthar's done a lot of studies on sorceresses. We know a sorceress' wings are the physical representation of their power, and that sorceresses with very little magic never develop any; the larger the wings, the greater the power." His eyes narrowed. "More importantly, they tend to mirror the sorceress' state of mind." 

Squall forced himself not to tense. 

"Is that why Adel's were...skeletal?" Elle realised. 

"Yes," Kiros agreed, still watching Squall. "It's believed that the wings were originally pure white and feathered, like the angels the Church of Hyne likes to plaster everywhere. The further they are from that, the more likely the sorceress will go mad. According to Esthar's findings." 

"My wings are grey," Squall bit out, wrapping his fingers in the chain of his necklace. 

"They're _silver_ , Leonhart," Seifer corrected. "And feathered," he added for everyone else. 

" _Silver_?" Laguna repeated, surprised. Next to him, Kiros's eyebrows raised. 

Elle huffed. "Now you _have_ to show me, Squall." 

Squall looked over at Seifer, stomach churning, and his knight leaned forward until their foreheads were pressed together. "I won't force you," Seifer whispered, voice a gentle breath against Squall's lips, "but you know my thoughts." He wrapped his hand around where Squall's fingers were tangled in his necklace. "Do you want me to lock the door?" 

Squall stared into the green eyes, helplessly reassured by Seifer's offer to lock the door. He'd already taken a step in trusting his father and Kiros with his secret, but it was hard to break a lifetime of fear, especially when it came to letting people know exactly _how_ powerful he was. Laguna and Kiros had fought Adel; who knew how they'd react to the size of his wings. 

_'You've already told Laguna that you're currently fighting the sorceress you got your powers from,'_ Quezacotl pointed out. _'Better he see the proof now, in a controlled environment, than find out when someone drops that you think she can use forbidden magic.'_

_'Anyway,'_ Leviathan added, _'Sis wants to see. You can't deny her.'_

Seifer chuckled and pressed a brief, warm kiss to Squall's mouth before getting up and moving towards the door. 

"Fine," Squall muttered, standing and kicking his chair out of the way as he stripped his shirt off. He waited until he'd heard the click of the door locking before he closed his eyes and let his magic loose. 

"They _are_ silver," Laguna breathed, awe in the words. 

"They're _beautiful_!" Elle exclaimed and Squall opened his eyes to look at her when he felt her chair move against the floor, giving her room to stand. "Can I touch them?" she requested, eyes bright and delighted. 

Squall blinked. "Yes," he decided and extended the nearest one slightly towards her. 

"Gentle," Seifer called from the other side of the room, where he was leaning back against the door and eyeing Squall in a way that said he wanted to cause trouble. 

Elle huffed at Seifer's warning, but her fingers were very gentle as she brushed them over the feathers. "They're so _soft_ ," she whispered. 

Squall shrugged and his wings shifted with the motion. "Feathers do tend to be soft," he pointed out. 

"What could silver mean?" Laguna asked, looking at Kiros. 

Kiros shrugged and met Squall's stare. "You'll forgive me if I press, but sorceresses make some of us nervous." 

"I'm aware of how much of a threat I am," Squall returned, forcing his voice flat. "SeeD was formed with the intention of destroying any sorceresses who fall to the madness." 

"And you're _leading_ them?" Kiros asked, both eyebrows raising. 

Squall snorted, but it was Elle who explained, "SeeD has two separate groups, and Squall's the only person familiar enough with both Alexander and the Garden-trained SeeDs to be able to direct them all." She sighed. "Uncle Cid forced the position on him." 

"Trust me, I think it's insane," Squall promised, glancing towards Seifer's grim smile. "But at least, here, I can be sure they're strong enough to take care of me, should it become necessary." 

"And what's the likelihood of that?" Kiros demanded. 

"Kiros," Laguna complained. 

Squall considered the dark-skinned man. "Who knows. I have no intention in going mad, but I'll be the first to admit that I don't always have control over my magic." 

"And your knight?" Kiros asked, looking towards Seifer. 

"Seifer's only been my knight for a month," Squall admitted. When Laguna and Kiros both turned to stare at him, clearly horrified, he shrugged. "My GFs acted in his place, and he's always had a calming influence on my magic." He snorted. "I had no idea what was going on until Matron explained it to me." 

"Matron... You called the sorceress who is being possessed that," Laguna recalled while Kiros frowned in thought. 

"Edea Kramer, Uncle Cid's wife, raised Squall and I," Elle offered. "She's been a sorceress since she was a child, so she helped Squall manage his powers. She was the one to suggest GFs might serve in place of a knight until he found someone." 

"Technically," Seifer offered with a smirk, "Squally told Matron that GFs would serve." 

"What?" 

Squall sighed. "The man who appeared with the sorceress I got my powers from," he explained to Elle, "had this scar." He touched the line crossing diagonally between his eyes. 

"Time travel," Elle muttered before she pressed her face against the feathers she'd been stroking. 

Squall let his wing curl around her and got a grateful smile for the effort. 

"What is your power?" Kiros asked and Laguna perked up, clearly interested. "You're obviously strong. Stronger than Adel, possibly." 

"Ooh, now that's an exciting thought," Seifer offered, glee in his voice and at the back of Squall's mind. 

"What was Adel's strength?" Squall asked, curious. "No one ever had an answer for me when I asked, but the way they spoke about her, I almost expected someone to say she specialised in forbidden magic." 

Kiros and Laguna traded troubled looks. "She did," Laguna offered. "Meteor, mostly, but rumour had it she could cast an Ultima if necessary." 

"It would leave her laid up for days, though," Kiros added while Squall looked over at his smirking knight. "She usually stuck with Flare or Holy if she wanted to make a statement." 

Seifer started laughing. 

"Why is he...?" Laguna asked, frowning towards the knight. 

"I can cast multiple Ultimas without any noticeable drain," Squall explained tiredly. 

Laguna and Kiros stared at him, both looking vaguely horrified. 

"I don't tend to use more than time and space magic, but I can also use forbidden magic." 

Seifer stepped forward to lean on the far side of the table, smile wide and sharp. "To give you an idea–"

"Seifer," Squall growled, shooting his knight a look that would have shut any other person in Garden up. 

"–it drains Squall to keep the GFs in the physical world, and Bahamut requires more energy than Shiva, say. Before we got Garden mobile, we got word from Tonberry and Diablos, who were hiding in Galbadia Garden, that the sorceress was sending missiles to both Trabia and Balamb. Squall traded Bahamut for Diablos, and sent him to Trabia to protect it, then destroyed, what was it, Squally? Twelve missiles before they hit Balamb?" 

Squall sighed and rubbed at his face. "Seifer, stop trying to scare them." 

Seifer snorted. "If I wanted to scare them, Leonhart, I'd ask when the last time they saw a ruby dragon was." 

Squall narrowed his eyes at his knight, fingers unconsciously wrapping around his necklace. Seifer just met his gaze, unapologetic. "That's enough," Squall ordered. 

"We don't really see ruby dragons in Esthar," Laguna commented uneasily. "Why? Did something happen to them?" 

"Squall destroyed them all," Elle whispered and the air went tense. 

"Why?" Kiros demanded, standing and towering over Squall even with Laguna sitting between them. "What could have possessed you–"

"It's none of your fucking business!" Squall snarled, pulling his wings in tight around his body. "And _you_!" he added, turning on Seifer. 

Seifer jerked back and pressed a hand against his forehead. 

_'Sorcerer,'_ Bahamut cautioned. 

Across the room, Seifer firmed his jaw and started around the table, steps firm and even against Squall's Quake magic. 

_'You need to calm down,'_ Quezacotl insisted. 

Squall squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember the breathing exercises he'd been practising since he was a child, but they remained just out of reach, hidden behind the old terror of what would happen when people found out what he was, how dangerous he was. And, too, that ancient fear of what his magic might do, what it was capable of if he didn't control it. 

Warm hands cupped his face. "Squall," Seifer whispered, voice feathering warmly against Squall's mouth and nose, "I'm sorry." The words were honest, painfully so, and Squall knew how much Seifer hated to apologise, even if he was in the wrong. 

Squall opened his eyes and stared into the familiar green gaze, muted by regret and pain. He took a deep breath, let Seifer's gentle touch soothe him. "You keep doing this," he heard himself whisper. 

Seifer's eyes squeezed closed. "No self-control," he whispered, and it should have been a joke, but it just fell flat, edged in bitterness. "I'm sorry." 

Squall leaned into Seifer, wings shifting out of the way and closing in around his knight's back, cocooning them in feathers and cutting them off from the rest of the room. Seifer's hands dropped to Squall's waist, pulling him close and pressing warmly against his back. Squall closed his eyes again and rested his head against the other's chest, letting the sense of solitude and his knight's touch ease away the last traces of fear and the suggestion of anger. 

"Our foster sister died," Elle said, sudden in the silence of the room, and Squall stiffened. "She was killed by a ruby dragon, which almost killed Squall, and another one almost killed me. Squall...he's the one who found Gee. He..." 

"Didn't react well?" Laguna offered, voice tired and tinged with understanding. 

Squall swallowed and forced himself to step back from Seifer, retracting his wings. Seifer let him go, but he caught Squall's left hand and stepped to the side, taking up his familiar position. Squall turned his gaze on the two from Esthar and quietly commented, "You might say, I suppose, that I went mad." 

Kiros flinched and Laguna closed his eyes, expression pained. 

"When I woke up, I was in Balamb Garden, and Seifer was standing over me, commenting that I wasn't a student." 

Seifer's hand jerked in his and surprise flooded the back of Squall's mind. 

"I didn't know that part," Elle said. When Squall glanced over at her, she smiled and looked over at Seifer. "You woke him up." 

"He creeped me out," Seifer insisted and Squall bit back a smile as he looked over at his knight. "I had no idea who he was, but he clearly knew who _I_ was." 

"I had no idea GFs usually stole memories," Squall offered, not bothering to hide his amusement. "No one ever told me. It wasn't until Dr Kadowaki was asking how much I remembered, that Shiva and Quezacotl explained why she was worried that I'd been junctioned while in a coma." He sighed and rubbed his thumb against the back of Seifer's hand, gaze dropping to the floor. "I told her I couldn't remember anything after my birthday. I didn't want anyone worrying about me." 

Seifer let out a loud snort and pulled Squall's hand up. He took a second to strip Squall's glove off, then pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, eyes catching Squall's when he looked up. "You don't get that option any more, Leonhart." 

"Because you're an overbearing asshole?" Squall suggested. 

Seifer considered that for a moment, then kissed Squall's hand again. "Pretty much," he agreed. 

Squall sensed Laguna getting up and walking over to them. He looked over to find his father staring up at Seifer, expression serious. When Seifer raised an eyebrow at him, Laguna demanded, "Can you keep him safe?" 

Seifer's other eyebrow raised for a moment, then he narrowed his eyes. "Are you questioning me, President Loire?" he asked, voice gone low and hard. 

"Yes," Laguna shot back, unflinching, and Squall blinked as his opinion of the man rose a few notches. "Can you keep my son safe?" 

Surprise flashed across the sense of Seifer at the back of Squall's mind, quickly followed by understanding. "So far as he'll let me," he offered, dropping the hostile tone. "He's stubborn, my sorcerer." 

Laguna's mouth twitched. "He gets it from his mother," he offered before shaking his head and pinning Seifer with his stare. "Can you keep him sane?" 

"I'm going to do my damnedest." 

"Good," Laguna declared before hurrying back to his chair and falling into it. He tugged his right leg up onto the seat and curled around it, wincing. 

"Laguna..." Kiros sighed. 

Seifer snorted and stepped forward, dragging Squall with him. "I'm hungry." 

Squall yanked on Seifer's hand and gave a pointed twitch of his wings once his knight had looked back. "I can't sit with these," he pointed out. 

"Of course you can. Come here." Seifer snagged his chair and turned it so he could sit, then motioned to his lap. 

"No." 

Seifer raised an eyebrow at him. "Leonhart, sit." 

Squall stared at him for a moment, mentally considering the state of his magic. It was still too upset to settle under his skin, apparently blaming itself for Seifer's head...ache... "Dammit," he let out, realising he'd been angry enough at his knight that his magic had hurt him. 

Seifer tugged on Squall's hand. "Sit." 

Squall gave in and settled in his knight's lap, wings shifting uncomfortably out of the way. "Oh, shut up," Squall ordered them as Seifer turned them back towards the table. "If you'd fucking behave for once, we wouldn't be having this problem." 

"A feather!" Elle called and Squall glanced back to see her picking up a fallen feather. 

"You can moult?" Seifer asked. 

Squall shrugged and smiled at Elle's hopeful expression. "I can't promise how long it'll remain, but you can keep it if you want." 

Elle smiled and pressed it against her chest. "Thank you, Squall. Maybe it'll be my lantern." She nodded towards where Tonberry's lantern still hung from one of his belts, resting against Seifer's knees. 

"Perhaps it will," Squall agreed before glancing back at his wings, wondering what his magic was up to. 

"Ignore it," Seifer murmured, arm curling around the back of Squall's waist and hand pressing warmly against his side. "Get me a hot dog, would you?" 

"You didn't think this through," Squall replied before leaning over and collecting food for both himself and his knight. 

That seemed to be a signal for the others, because everyone reached for the platter and collected something. 

Squall was almost finished with the chicken salad the kitchen staff had – likely very grudgingly – included when a question occurred to him that would probably make Laguna and Kiros very uncomfortable; Seifer would approve. "What's the Tomb?" he asked. 

Laguna shot Kiros a panicked look, completely ruining the blank stare that Kiros turned on Squall. 

"Oh, that's right," Seifer said, voice somewhere between amused and nasty. "You have some sort of Tomb that blocks over-the-air communication, don't you?" 

"They're going to find out," Laguna said, failing at keeping his voice down. "And the reason she was sealed was that no one could defeat her." 

"No," Kiros hissed, much quieter, "she was sealed because no one can be trusted with that much power." 

"I'm not really liking the impression I'm getting here," Seifer announced. 

"Adel isn't dead, is she?" Elle asked. 

"No," Laguna admitted and Kiros closed his eyes in defeat. "The resistance was never able to kill her when they tried, so they contracted Odine to build a chamber they could trap her in forever. He knew Adel's interest in him was waning, so he did it." 

"So she's trapped in something of an eternal Stop?" Squall asked, titling his head to one side. 

"That's not...a bad way to describe it," Laguna agreed. 

"Where is she?" Seifer demanded. "Where could you _possibly_ put her to keep some mad idiot from setting her free?" 

"She's in space, orbiting the moon," Kiros announced. 

_'Well,'_ Diablos helpfully commented, _'that would serve as a good deterrent for idiocy.'_

_'For humans,'_ Bahamut agreed. _'Some of us don't suffer from the lack of oxygen.'_

_' **Some** of us can't break orbit,'_ Leviathan snapped. 

"You three can shut up any second now," Seifer remarked. 

"While it's nice that she's out of the way," Squall said, staring at his father, "as Commander of SeeD, I cannot, in good conscience, ignore that Esthar has a mad sorceress in reserve. _Especially_ since her presence is, I assume, the reason that we can't communicate via air waves." 

Laguna looked hopeful. "If we brought her down, could you kill her? Accept her powers?" Kiros tensed next to him. 

Squall snorted. "I don't want more Sorceress Magic, and I'm not sure I _could_ accept it, anyway; the way the criteria was explained to me, I was only an option because there was no one else around when she died." 

"And the magic already knew it was going to you," Seifer added cheerfully. 

"Time travel," Elle muttered. 

Squall rolled his eyes. "Get on Dr Odine," he suggested. "See if there's a way to...oh, I don't know, split the Sorceress Magic, say? Find a few strong-willed women willing to accept it." He looked out the windows behind him, faced out over the ocean. "It's going to take us a while to get Galbadia under control, after everything. That should give Dr Odine time to create whatever he might need, then we can deal with Adel." He looked back at the two from Esthar. "Does that sound acceptable?" 

"We'll have to run it by the Council of Ministers, but I can't imagine they won't approve it," Laguna agreed. 

"They might, just to be difficult," Kiros warned. "Opening our borders is not a popular idea. If it wasn't for the fact that a sorceress is involved, they'd never have approved sending out soldiers to assist in protecting non-Estharians." 

"Well, it's good to know where we stand with our neighbours," Seifer said with a snort. 

Squall offered Kiros a mean little smile. "I have GFs capable of simply going into space and collecting or destroying Adel's Tomb. Cooperation, I believe, is the best in everyone's interest." 

Kiros blinked. "Are you threatening Esthar, Commander?" he asked, but there was a gleam of something suspiciously like approval in his eyes. 

"If that's what it takes," Squall agreed. 

"I thought we weren't starting another war," Seifer said, but his amusement was warm at the back of Squall's mind. 

"Well, if we're done with the first one by then..." 

Seifer wasn't the only one who laughed. 

-0-

Galbadia Garden, it turned out, was waiting in Centra, not far inland from the Cape of Good Hope, over the Lenown Plains. Squall ordered the Gardens to hold position in the water, just out of sight of Lenown Beach and Galbadia Garden, and had Alexander bring him, Seifer, Elle, Laguna, Kiros, Zell, Quistis, Irvine, and Selphie ashore. (He hadn't bothered arguing about his friends coming with, as Irvine had insisted that they deserved to be there with Matron was freed, and Elle had sided with Laguna when he tried to tell his father he was better off remaining behind. He was torn between irritation and a sense of gratitude that at least he wouldn't have to worry about Matron or Elle while he and Seifer were playing in time.) 

They held position where the sand of the beach gave way to the grass of the plains, Squall and Seifer in the lead, Beau and the two SeeDs he'd brought from Alexander just behind them. Everyone else was arrayed around Elle, hands on their weapons and staring ahead at the red Garden. None of them were wearing SeeD-issue clothing, not even the Alexander's crew, to keep the sorceress from having any sort of warning about who was coming.

Finally, after a good twenty minutes, following a warning chirp from Tonberry, a group of six Galbadian soldiers with jetpacks flew out to them. "State your intentions!" the one in the lead ordered. 

"We've brought the Time Witch Ellone!" Squall shouted back. "We request safe passage to deliver her to Sorceress Edea!" 

The flyers took a moment to confer, then one of them turned and flew back towards Galbadia Garden, while the rest of them trained their guns on the group and stayed in the air. 

"Easy," Beau murmured to someone behind Squall. "We don't want a firefight." 

Tonberry chirped another warning before the flyer who had left came back into view. The group conferred again, then the leader dropped to the ground in front of Squall. "We'll escort you. Anyone draws a weapon or thinks to try casting something, everyone dies. Clear?" 

"Crystal," Seifer returned, voice honeyed. 

Squall just sighed and nodded, then motioned for the Galbadian to lead them in. 

Galbadia Garden didn't settle down to let them step aboard. Rather, their escort ferried them up to the entrance one at a time, leaving them to face a line of more soldiers with guns pointed at them. 

"I am getting a little sick of all these guns," Zell muttered. "No offence, Irvine." 

"I agree with you," the sharpshooter agreed, keeping his voice down. 

Once everyone was aboard, they were led up to the headmaster's office. On the way, Squall felt Tonberry join them, tiny steps obvious to his Quake magic. He slipped between Zell and Quistis to walk next to Elle until she noticed him and leaned down to pick him up. If any of the Galbadians noticed the addition, their steps didn't change, and Squall let himself relax. 

Matron was waiting for them in Martine's office, a dead-eyed Galbadian standing at her side. Her eyes narrowed on Squall when he stepped off the lift with Seifer, Beau, the two Alexander SeeDs, and Quistis; the rest of the group would be coming up in the next trip, the lift too small for all of them with their guard detail. "Sorcerer," she hissed. 

Squall inclined his head. "Sorceress." 

"What _is_ your name?" Seifer asked, loud and obnoxious. "Because I'm just going to start calling you Sorceress Parasite if you don't give me something else." 

"Show deference to Sorceress Edea!" the dead-eyed Galbadian shouted, pointing a sword at them. 

Seifer took a step forward, clearly unconcerned by the threat. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm quite fond of Sorceress Edea. I'm talking to the _other_ sorceress, the one controlling her. The one who's tried to kill my sorcerer twice now," he added, voice dropping. 

The sorceress laughed and leaned forward as the lift opened, showing Elle at the head of the group, arms wrapped around Tonberry. "For bringing me what I seek, I shall grant your request: I am called Ultimecia." 

"I liked Sorceress Parasite better," Seifer decided. 

"Seifer," Squall called as he stepped forward to stand next to his knight. When Matron's wrongly-coloured gold eyes turned to him, he asked, "Am I correct in assuming you aim to enact Time Compression?" 

Matron's eyes narrowed at him for a beat before she let out a cold laugh and settled back in her chair, hair ornaments clicking. "Such a quick little Sorcerer. It really is a pity you are one of the cursed ones." 

Tonberry let out a loud chirp before he appeared in Squall's mind. Almost immediately after, Matron slumped in her chair, eyes falling closed. 

"Bring Edea back," Laguna directed, and Squall glanced back to see his father had an arm wrapped around Elle's shoulders, supporting her. 

"What have you _done_?!" the dead-eyed Galbadian screamed. 

Guns cocked all around them, too many, and Squall didn't even bother thinking about it, just blanketed all the Galbadian soldiers in Stop. 

The man at the head of the room clearly had some sort of protection against Sorceress Magic, for he waved his sword towards Squall, screaming, "You've killed–"

Seifer smoothly drew Hyperion as he stepped forward, dodging the wild sword swing, and cut the Galbadian's head off. "That was pathetic." 

"Seifer?" Matron whispered weakly. 

Seifer gave an obnoxious little wave. "Good to see you looking like yourself again, Matron. Sorry Squally and I can't stick around, but we're leaving behind some replacements." 

"You have your orders," Squall called over his shoulder as the room seemed to melt around him. Seifer wrapped an arm around him, pulling them tightly together. 

"Commander!" Beau called, and Squall could just make out him saluting before they were falling through water. 

Squall turned to face his knight as his magic strained against his skin. He spared a brief grimace for his jacket, then let his magic free. His wings burst forth and wrapped around him and Seifer, blocking out the strange world around them just as the ocean turned to sky. 

Squall drew back his wings when he felt solid ground under his feet, revealing a castle towering above them, dark clouds swirling around it and half blocking out the moon. 

"Well, this looks friendly," Seifer remarked, eyeing the massive doors before them. "Can I make a bet on the number of nasty, violent monsters waiting for us inside?" 

Squall looked up the wall, towards the castle ramparts and cast out with his Quake magic. "She's in one of the upper floors," he announced when he found her. "We can fly up there." 

Seifer laughed and tugged Squall back against his chest. "I'm all for skipping the violent monsters." 

"Yes," Squall replied as he wrapped his arms around his knight, "I rather thought you might be." 

And then they were heading up, towards Ultimecia. 

-0-

"Greetings, Sorceress Parasite!" Seifer called as he shoved open the door that led to the room that Squall knew Ultimecia was in. 

"Greetings, Knight," the woman's voice purred before Bio rushed over Seifer. 

"Oh, ow," Seifer remarked drily as he stepped the rest of the way into the room, Squall's magic having absently brushed the familiar spell away from his knight. "I don't think I can stand any more." 

"Don't be an ass," Squall ordered as his wings settled comfortably against his back, having been required to stretch awkwardly to get through the low door. 

Ultimecia stood from her throne, eyeing Squall's wings. "Your power is impressive, Sorcerer, but you are no match for myself." She flicked a hand at Squall and darkness surrounded him. 

Squall recognised Maelstrom even as his wings flared and destroyed the spell. "You can't use that magic against me, Ultimecia," he offered as he drew Sheer Trigger. "I didn't come here to serve as an easy target for you. Not this time!" He dashed forward, Haste boosting his speed. 

Ultimecia managed to stumble to one side, eyes wide, and Squall missed her heart, but he managed to catch her wing, and she howled in agony even as she spun and raked her clawed fingers against his shoulder. 

Squall hissed and jumped back, glancing down to find the leather shredded. Blood was already staining the shirt under it and Squall grimaced as he pushed a Curaga into the wound, healing the damage to his flesh, if not his shirt. 

While Squall had paused to heal himself, Seifer had made his own attack, throwing a Firaga at the sorceress and following it up with a slash of Hyperion, which cut the wrist of the hand that had caught Squall, ruining it for further use. 

Ultimecia let out a scream of " _Die_!" and white orbs slammed into Seifer, throwing him back. 

Squall grit his teeth and tossed a Holy of his own at the sorceress, recalling her attention to him so Seifer could take a moment to recover. Ultimecia replied with another Holy, which Squall managed to partially dodge with a burst of well-timed Haste. He got out a Blizzaga before the last three orbs slammed into him, rough enough to ache. 

"Squall!" Seifer shouted in warning. 

Squall stumbled backwards, wings shifting to accommodate, and stared up at Ultimecia, who was suddenly in front of him, having dodged his Blizzaga. She reached for his chest, claws extended, and his wings immediately pulled him back and out of danger. 

"So," Ultimecia purred, something silver glinting in her claws, "this is your precious charm." 

Squall grabbed for his necklace, only to find the lion's head missing. "No!" 

Ultimecia laughed and threw Squall's pendant on the ground between them, poisonous magic staining the silver. "Let us see how you fare against your charm!" 

The pendant rose in the air, turning in the grip of the black magic, and Squall stared in horror as his last link to Virgie was twisted into a monster of a creature: a black lion stained with red like spilt blood, and a pale grey mane. 

_No,_ Squall realised as the creature spread its wings and they glinted in the pale light cast by the too-large moon shining through the windows behind Ultimecia's throne, _not grey. **Silver**._

"Griever, kill him!" Ultimecia screamed. 

Squall looked up into golden brown eyes that were lit with confusion, so familiar it _ached_. "Gee?" he heard himself whisper. 

"Holy Hyne," Seifer breathed, close at Squall's side. 

The lion's eyes blinked and one paw was raised to observe. The lion jerked back in surprise at the sight and turned to Squall, panic in its eyes. _"Squally?"_ it asked in Virgie's voice, small and terrified. 

"I said _kill him_!" Ultimecia screamed and familiar green and yellow magic lit up behind the lion's spread wings. 

"Leave her _alone_!" Squall roared. He didn't even think, just threw out a hand and told his magic to get Ultimecia away from Virgie. 

His magic rushed forward in a blast not unlike a Flare, flowing easily around Virgie's new form and slamming Ultimecia against the back wall of the room with a sickening thud and the cracking of broken bones. Ultimecia screamed, proving she was still alive. 

Virgie flinched away from the scream, towards Squall and Seifer. She reached for him, before recalling her claws and snatching her paw back, looking lost. _"Squally, what... What's going on?"_

"You got...that sorceress pulled you forward, through time, and turned you into a GF," Squall tried to explain, voice rough. 

_"A...GF?"_ Virgie repeated, looking down at her claws again. _"Like Shiva?"_

"Way more badass than Shiva," Seifer informed her, tone gleeful. 

"Seifer!" 

Seifer rolled his eyes at Squall. "Oh, don't even bother, Leonhart; you know I'm right. Your little sister is absolutely badass." 

_"Little sister?"_ Virgie whispered before letting out a roar of agony and stumbling forward. The last gasps of the Tornado that had caught her became visible around her wings as feathers dropped from them. 

"The hell you don't!" Seifer shouted, slipping around Virgie and towards Ultimecia. 

_"Squally,"_ Virgie whispered, reaching for him again. 

Squall caught her paw, holding it tight between his hands and letting Sheer Trigger clatter to the ground at his feet. "I've got you, Gee," he promised, heart thudding too-fast against his ribs. "I won't let you get hurt again." 

Virgie closed her eyes and vanished, a silver crystal streaked with red appearing in Squall's hands for a moment before it absorbed into his skin. 

"Keep her safe," he ordered his GFs as she settled in his mind, small and scared. 

_'We will do so, Sorcerer,'_ Bahamut promised as the group crowded around her, blanketing her in the same way they used to do to Squall's magic, but _protecting_ her, rather than holding her back. 

Squall leaned down to grab Sheer Trigger, squeezing the familiar grip before he started forward, eyes locked on where Ultimecia was leaning against the wall, wings hanging, broken, behind her. She'd developed a few new cuts across her abdomen and arms, clearly dealt by Seifer, who was standing to one side, out of the way and breathing hard. 

"No one," Squall snarled and the gold eyes focussed on him, going wide with something like horror even as one hand raised to cast magic, "hurts my _sister_!"

Ultimecia's eyes flashed black just before Squall's strike landed, and the room lit with rune-lined circles as Sheer Trigger bit into her chest, directly over her heart. 

" _Squall_!" Seifer shouted as Apocalypse hit and everything went black. 

-0-

.


	12. Beneath My Wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter. Hopefully all the loose ends are tied up. XD
> 
> Smut in this chapter, because why not.

"Sis!" a small voice cried, and Squall opened his eyes to the beach. In the distance, he could make out the orphanage, and, running towards him–

"Hello, Squall," he murmured. 

His younger self stumbled and fell backwards, landing on his arse. He stared up at Squall, eyes wide. 

Ultimecia appeared behind his child self, one clawed hand held over the killing gash to her heart. She stumbled, broken wings dragging against the ground. 

The child between them let out a terrified sound and moved on hands and feet like a crab towards Squall, close enough they almost touched. 

"She can't hurt you, not here," Squall promised, glancing up towards the orphanage when he saw something moving in that direction. 

"I...kan't...disappear yet," Ultimecia gasped as Squall recognised the person moving towards them: Matron. 

If Matron got too close before Ultimecia gave up her powers, Squall wouldn't get them, he knew, and he narrowed his eyes at the dying sorceress. "You don't have a _choice_!" he snarled and his magic rose within him, furious at her refusal to let go. 

Ultimecia screamed, the magic within her reacting to Squall's own and tearing out of her, leaving behind a broken woman who faded away as the life left her. 

"No!" Matron shouted, too far away to stop the black cloud so full of violence and cruelty from rushing into the small boy curled on the ground in front of Squall. 

His younger self screamed and Squall closed his eyes, remembering all too well the agony of accepting that magic. 

"Squall!" Matron cried, and Squall looked down to find her falling to her knees next to his younger self. 

Squall knelt down across from her. "Matron," he said, and her head jerked up. "He'll be okay." He grimaced, aware of the horrors lying in wait for himself. "Eventually." 

"But, that magic..." Matron whispered. 

Squall looked down at the unscarred face of his child-self. "He'll fight with it," he whispered before shaking his head. "Find him Guardian Forces," he told her, looking up into her gentle eyes, damp with tears. "He'll need them until his knight is ready." 

Her eyes widened. "Who...are you?" 

Squall blinked. "I'm a SeeD, trained at Garden to defeat sorceresses when they become a danger." He smiled at her, but the motion felt tired. "I was told it was your idea, but perhaps it's just a trick of time." He stood again and nearly stumbled when his wings flared out behind him, magic tingling under his skin. 

"Squall," Matron realised, and he nodded to her wide-eyed stare. "You're–"

"Okay," Squall promised before his magic tugged against his skin again. "And beholden to an impatient knight." He closed his eyes and let his wings wrap around him, his magic pulling him forward through time to where a pissed off blond gunblader was scowling at him. 

"Dammit, Leonhart!" Seifer snarled. "Next time you pull that translucent shit on me, I'm running you through with Hyperion!" 

Squall shrugged. "I had an errand to attend to." 

Seifer's expression smoothed out and he took a quick glance around them at the beach. "Sorceress Parasite gone for good, then?" 

"Very much so," Squall agreed and he felt strangely light, as though a heavy burden had fallen from his shoulders at last. "And Matron will supply me with GFs until you get your head out of your ass." 

Seifer rolled his eyes and reached forward to wrap his fingers around the naked chain resting too-light against Squall's chest. "Virgie?" he asked and Squall found himself holding his breath. 

_'I'm here,'_ Virgie whispered, peeking out of the pile of GFs that had curled around her. _'You're...Squally's Knight?'_

"Yes. My name's Seifer." 

_'Hello, Seifer.'_ She bumped against the sense of Seifer at the back of Squall's mind and the knight twitched. _'You're very warm.'_

Seifer blinked at that before raising an eyebrow at Squall. "Warm," he deadpanned. 

Squall shrugged. "I always thought so." 

Seifer's eyes glinted and Squall realised he probably shouldn't have admitted that, even as his knight used the useless chain to pull him in close, wrapping an arm around Squall's waist when he couldn't use the chain any more. "I'm warm, am I?" he murmured before leaning in and capturing Squall's lips. 

Virgie let out a startled squeak in Squall's mind and hid behind a laughing Bahamut. 

"Almasy," Squall growled against the blond's mouth. 

"We killed that bitch and you've got your sister back, Leonhart," Seifer breathed, green eyes dark with intent. "That requires a victory fuck." 

"If you had your way, you'd fuck me once an hour," Squall shot back even as he wrapped his arms around his knight's neck; he had to admit, Seifer was sort of right about the victory fuck thing, even if they _were_ standing within shouting distance of their childhood home and Virgie could see _everything_.

Seifer huffed out a rough laugh. "If only you weren't so damned _stubborn_ ," he complained before warm hands pushed up, under his shirt, and brushed against the fine fluff that marked where his wings joined his back. 

Squall melted against his knight with a helpless moan. "Clothing," he breathed against Seifer's throat, and his magic obediently vanished their clothing, even as his wings wrapped around them, blanketing them in silver feathers. 

Seifer's hands pressed against his arse and Squall gave a little hop, helping his knight boost him up so he could wrap his legs around Seifer's waist. Seifer easily took his weight, Squall's Quake magic helpfully flowing through him and firming his footing against the sand. 

Seifer pressed his lips to Squall's throat, just under his ear, and warned, "I don't have any oil." 

Squall threaded one hand up, through the fine hairs at the back of Seifer's head. "I'm not that delicate, Almasy." 

Seifer grunted. "When you can't walk tomorrow, don't come crying to me." Two of his fingers pushed into Squall's entrance, dry and rough, and Squall pressed his face against the crook of Seifer's neck, hovering between wanting to push back against the familiar intrusion and pull away from the whisper of pain. "Dammit, Squall," Seifer whispered against his throat, "could you relax for once in your life?" 

Squall pressed his lips against Seifer's throat. "Too stubborn." 

Seifer huffed a laugh, warm against Squall's skin, and his fingers left for a moment. There came the sound of Seifer sucking on something, then his fingers returned, three pressing in a little less roughly than the first two. It didn't stop the stretch from burning, but Seifer found his prostate quickly enough and Squall muffled a gasp against his knight's throat as he pushed back against the intrusion. 

"Desperate," Seifer murmured. 

_'Oh, just fuck him already,'_ Diablos complained and Squall groaned. 

"Shut up, pervert," Seifer shot back before gently removing his fingers. "Hold on to me," he ordered. 

Squall frowned, but did as ordered, wrapping his arms around Seifer's shoulders. 

Seifer let go of him slowly, making sure he was supporting himself, then shifted and made a weird sound. Squall looked over his shoulder to watch his knight lick his palm before he lowered his hands to – Squall realised with a faint sense of embarrassment – wet his cock as much as he could. 

Stupid, protective knight. 

Seifer's entrance produced an unfamiliar burn, but it wasn't anywhere near the level that Squall would pull away from. Maybe because it chased away all the aches of spell damage that he'd been trying to ignore, or maybe just because it was _Seifer_ , warm and familiar, a promise of protection that Squall occasionally tried to ignore. 

"I've got you," Seifer gasped out as he bottomed out, hands warm against Squall's arse while he burned him up inside, entirely too welcome. 

Squall had an epiphany, then, with his knight impaling him and his wings cocooning them: He honestly and truly loved Seifer. 

"Oh," he heard himself say. 

Seifer let out a put-upon sigh that sounded a little strained. "Are you thinking again?" 

"Yes," Squall admitted. 

"Dammit, Leonhart," Seifer complained before leaning back slightly. 

Squall met him halfway, pressing their mouths together and raking his fingers through the blond hair. Seifer let out a surprised grunt, but didn't complain, licking into Squall's mouth even as he gently rolled up into Squall. 

Seifer kept the pace slow, his motions shallow and careful. It was enough to test a saint. 

Squall lasted maybe three minutes before he snarled – or, well, it was supposed to be a snarl, it actually came out as more of a whine, " _Seifer_."

Seifer huffed a laugh. "I'm not going to hurt you." 

In a move that Squall would later attribute to desperation, he pulled his wings back and yanked on the Quake magic that was keeping Seifer steady on the sand. Seifer's eyes went wide as he staggered, hands clenching tight enough on Squall's arse to leave bruises. Squall's magic responded to his wishes and his wings made a couple of quick motions that ended with Seifer on his back in the sand and Squall perched over him, feeling just a little bit smug, especially since he'd managed to keep their connection intact, though Seifer had certainly shifted inside him. 

Seifer stared at him for a moment, disbelieving, before he let out a chuckle and brushed his hands up Squall's sides. "Stubborn sorcerer." 

"Asshole knight," Squall shot back before he ground down against Seifer, his current position rubbing hard against Squall's prostrate and causing pleasure to roll through him with every motion. 

Seifer gave up on being gentle, pushing up hard every time Squall dropped down against him. And it burned like fire up Squall's spine and around his entrance, but he couldn't find it in himself to care, eyes glued to Seifer's face and waiting for his orgasm, wanting to see the moment his knight let go. 

He got his wish, Seifer tensing under him and throat stretching taut. His lips moved, whispering a word. The realisation that it was _Squall's name_ completely ruined him, and he spilled between them as his wings arched above him, magic delighted. 

"Stunning," he heard Seifer say as he dropped tiredly to his knight's chest. Fingers stroked along his wings, gentle and warm, and Squall let his eyes close, wings folding against his back like the blanket they liked to pretend they were when Squall slept. 

-0-

Squall woke inside the orphanage, Seifer snoring at his side. He took a moment to stare at his knight, memorising his eased expression like he was afraid he'd never see it again. 

"Ridiculous," Squall whispered to himself before twitching his wings out of the way and sitting up on the surprisingly wide bed. It took him a moment to recognise Matron's room, and then the wide bed made sense, as did the reason why Seifer had picked this one, rather than the singles that peppered the children's rooms. 

He forced himself to stand, wincing in preparation for the aches he'd felt before he'd fallen asleep, but nothing hurt. Spotting their pile of things answered the question: a line of empty potion bottles sat out next to their gunblades, waiting to be returned to the Garden infirmary so Kadowaki could sterilise and reuse them. 

"Protective asshole," Squall whispered as he hunted down some trousers and his boots. 

Dressed, he stepped out of the run-down building. The sun hadn't quite risen yet, but the horizon was glowing pink with its intention, and Squall considered his options before flying up to the roof to watch it rise. 

"Gee?" he called once he was settled. 

The unfamiliar black and red lion obediently appeared in front of him, silver wings beating easily to keep her steady in mid-air. 

Squall patted the roof next to him. "Sit." 

Virgie looked down at her paws. _"Like this?"_ she asked, sounding just as scared as the first time she'd realised what she'd become. 

Squall opened his mouth to say, 'Yes, like that,' but he paused when his magic twisted inside him, shaping a new spell that proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it had missed Virgie as much as Squall himself had. He swallowed back a tightness in his throat and stood, holding out his hands for her. "Come here. I have a gift for you." 

Virgie's brow furrowed, the motion so very obvious with the red horns arching up, over her head, but obediently moved forward, taking Squall's hands with great care. 

Once her feet were resting on the roof, Squall closed his eyes and directed the new spell into his sister, twisting her form to something more familiar to both of them. And when he opened his eyes to look at her, he found the seven-year-old girl who he'd once lost, black hair braided into the pigtails she'd always refuse to let anyone else do after Elle taught him how and wearing the orange dress she'd insisted on getting to match the orange and black shirt Squall had always worn. He smiled at her past the tears filling his eyes. "There you are," he whispered. 

Virgie pushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, face pressed tight against his stomach, whole form shaking with quiet sobs. Squall curled around her, wings and all. 

He didn't let go until she pulled back to rub roughly at her cheeks. "Stop that," he whispered, crouching down in front of her and gently wiping at the wet lines with his thumbs. She reached up and returned the favour, and he smiled at her sadly. "I've missed you." 

Virgie blinked. _"You're so big,"_ she said, voice echoing in Squall's mind like all GFs' voices did, even in her current form. _"How old are you?"_

"Almost eighteen," he admitted, sitting back against the roof. 

She blinked at him a few more times, clearly surprised, before her expression turned into a ridiculous pout and she declared, _"Now I'll **never** catch up!"_

Squall couldn't help but laugh, and it felt a little like years of loneliness left him with the noise, catching on the sea breeze and flying away. He patted the roof next to him and she settled at his side, pressing against him. "You know what's worse?" he asked. 

Virgie glanced up, curious. 

"Simo's older than you, too." 

_"What?! Nuh-uh! He's supposed to be littler than me forever, because he **poops** himself."_

Squall snorted and shook his head. "Not any more." His heart fell at the reminder of what had happened to Virgie's brother. "He's actually quite good with his sword, but..." He sighed and looked down at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, Gee; he probably won't remember you." 

_"How can he...not remember me?"_ Virgie asked, hurt. 

"GFs, for normal people, they take memories. And after–"

After her death; Squall couldn't say it, couldn't even _think_ to undo the miracle Ultimecia had thought to use against him. 

"What do you remember, before you appeared in the castle?" 

Virgie stared up at him for a moment, confused and hurt, before she closed her eyes and her brow furrowed. _"We were on Trabia. Jacob and Mary-Anne ran ahead, **again**. I went after them and..."_ She opened her eyes. _"I was in that other body."_ She looked down at her hands. 

Squall closed his eyes, relief flowing through him. "We got attacked by ruby dragons," he offered and she jerked against his side. "I– we all thought you were–"

_'Dead,'_ Bahamut supplied. _'Simo took the easy way out and got a GF as soon as he was allowed.'_

"You've made your feelings on the matter quite clear, Bahamut," Squall said, rubbing tiredly at his scar; the dragon had never been particularly impressed with Simo's decision to forget about his sister, had occasionally suggested, when they saw Simo in the hallways, that Squall nudge him into remembering _something_. Squall had always refused, admittedly a little jealous of the fact that Simo had that option at all. 

Virgie tugged on his hand and touched the scar when he lowered it. _"You didn't forget me,"_ she pointed out. 

"I don't forget things." He offered her a smile, certain it came out pained. "Perk of being a sorcerer." 

She traced his expression with her eyes, then leaned in and gave him a hug. 

He hugged her back, hold tight and familiar, even with the change in their relative sizes. 

_"You have wings,"_ she pointed out at last, looking up at him. 

"I do," he agreed, glancing back at where they were helpfully stretching and showing off their metallic shine. 

Virgie giggled and reached out to touch the nearest one, which curled around her. _"They're pretty. And **soft**."_

"The pretty has been mentioned," Squall remarked drily. "Also the soft." 

Virgie frowned at him, hands petting over silver feathers. _"You don't like them?"_

Squall sighed and drew up a knee to lean on. "I don't like that I have to hide them," he admitted. When her frown turned confused, he explained, "I don't tell people what I am, Gee. If I'm going to leave my wings out, I might as well announce it to a magazine." 

Sleepy curiosity hummed against the back of Squall's mind, and Virgie let out a startled sound. 

"Seifer's up," Squall offered before ordering, "Someone tell him I'm on the roof. And to put some fucking trousers on." 

Virgie giggled and covered a blush with her hands. _"I already saw everything."_

Squall covered his ears and shook his head. "I am living in a happy little fantasy world where my little sister has _not_ seen my knight naked." 

"Deluding yourself, Squally," Seifer declared as he stepped out of the building beneath them. He glanced up at them and did a double take upon seeing Virgie. "Okay. You're unexpected." 

_"Hello, Seifer!"_ Virgie chirped. 

Seifer turned a questioning look on Squall and he shrugged. "My magic likes her." 

Seifer snorted. "I suppose the two of you had to agree on something _eventually_." He glanced around while Virgie giggled and Squall rolled his eyes. "There is no way for me to get up there without chancing a broken neck. Get down here." 

"Pushy asshole," Squall whispered to Virgie. 

She wiggled a finger in his face. _"Matron's gonna wash your mouth out."_

"Shit," Squall realised, looking down at Seifer, "we need to find out how she is." 

Seifer's mouth thinned. "We need to go find out a lot of things. Down." 

Squall nodded and wrapped an arm around Virgie. "Ready?" he asked. 

_"Yeah!"_

Squall pushed them off the roof, his wings spreading and catching the air to lower them gently to the ground next to Seifer, who was watching them with a fond smile. Once Squall had let a delighted Virgie go, Seifer tugged him forward and brushed a brief kiss over his lips. "Good morning, my sorcerer," he murmured. 

Squall leaned up and pressed his lips back against Seifer's for a slightly longer, but no less gentle kiss. "Good morning, my knight," he murmured back and Seifer's eyes glowed in a way that warmed Squall's heart. 

_"Are you **done** yet?"_ Virgie complained. _"I want to see Matron!"_ Then she paused, something occurring to her. _"Will she remember me, Squally?"_

Squall frowned. "She's had a rough few months, so she might not be up for visitors, but she remembers you, yes. So do Sis and Beau." 

"I bet some of the other Alexander SeeD remember you," Seifer added with a smirk. 

Squall snorted, perfectly aware that his knight was imagining how Alexander's crew was going to respond to Virgie's resurrection. He closed his eyes and tugged on his magic, trying to withdraw his wings, but it refused to budge. "Seifer," he called, frowning. "Help." 

Seifer's hands settled at his waist and he helped Squall pull his magic in, disapproving and resigned in equal measures. 

The moment Squall's wings vanished, however, agony shot through him and his knees gave out under him. It felt almost like his skin was going to _burst_. 

"Let them back out!" Seifer ordered, cradling Squall against his chest. 

Squall pressed his face against his knight's collarbone and let his magic back out. The agony vanished, leaving a bone-deep ache behind. "What...the..." he gasped. 

_'You spent time outside of time,'_ Quezacotl offered warily. _'Your magic seems to have grown again.'_

_'You must leave your wings out, Sorcerer,'_ Eden concluded. 

"What if I use some magic?" Squall suggested, trying to pull away from Seifer. Fear was rolling in his stomach, old and familiar. 

Seifer held him fast. "Squall, that'll only help so much, and you know it." He pressed his forehead to Squall's and locked gazes with him. "Do you trust me?" 

"What does that have–?" Squall started. 

Seifer shook his head. "Do you trust me?" 

Squall stared up into the calm green eyes and let himself relax against his knight. "Yes," he whispered. 

"I'm going to keep you safe," Seifer promised, refusing to look away. "No one is going to hurt you for what you are, because I won't let them." His eyes flickered towards the side, where Squall could sense Virgie standing. " _We're_ not going to let them, right, Gee?" 

_" **Right**."_

Seifer reached up and cupped Squall's cheek. "You can't hide any more, Squall. I'm sorry." 

Squall closed his eyes and dropped his head to press his face against Seifer's collarbone. He'd always known, deep down, that there would come a day when he would no longer be able to hide what he was. Still, he'd expected the day to come in conjunction with madness, not when he was perfectly sane and happy. 

He should have known better; his magic never played by the rules. 

Seifer didn't push him, just ran his fingers through Squall's hair while he resigned himself. It was...nice. Almost out of character for his knight, and yet–

Squall shook the half-formed thought away and pulled back. "Well," he said, forcing himself to look at things practically, "if I can fly, we don't need Bahamut to provide transportation." 

Seifer eyed him suspiciously. "Right. Just so we're clear, I am _not_ flying with Diablos." 

Squall snorted. "Trust me, I know." He looked down at Virgie. "I was going to say, Gee can fly herself." 

Virgie glanced down at her very human hands and held them up to Squall. _"You fixed me,"_ she pointed out. 

Squall sighed and shook his head. "No. I just gave you the option to decide how you wanted to appear. You're still a GF, and you'll always have that form." 

"I bet you could have the wings without the growly face," Seifer suggested as he turned to go back into the orphanage. "You can be a prettier version of Squally!" 

_"Can I?"_ Virgie asked Squall while he rolled his eyes at his knight. 

Squall shrugged. "I don't see why not." 

She closed her eyes and her expression twisted with concentration. Squall's magic shifted inside of him, travelling along the connection that kept her tethered to him and lending her the magic for the change. Her wings formed behind her, shaped like a dragon's and as dark as her GF form, but with silver feathers instead of the usual leathery membrane. 

Virgie looked over her shoulder and made a face. _"They aren't as pretty as yours,"_ she told Squall. 

"I'll trade you," Squall returned drily and she giggled. 

Seifer returned, fully dressed and holding Sheer Trigger and Squall's clothing. "Squally," he said carefully. 

Squall raised an eyebrow at him. 

Seifer held out his leather jacket, back to Squall. There was no damage where his wings had burst free when they were falling through Time Compression, and Squall felt his other eyebrow raise to join the first. "They _are_ just magic," Seifer pointed out. 

Squall blinked, then held out his hand for the white bundle Seifer was still holding. "Shirt." 

"It's ruined," Seifer warned as he held it out, showing the stain of old blood against the ruined shoulder. 

Squall snorted, eyes catching on the signs of blood showing through on the arms of Seifer's coat and the front of his waistcoat. "I'll make do." He tugged it on, pulling it carefully down his back, but feeling no resistance as it moved past where his wings joined his back. When he brushed the feathers with his fingers, they felt completely solid, but the same didn't seem to be the case for his clothing. "You are such a contrary pain in the ass," he muttered to his magic as he accepted his jacket and shrugged it on. 

"I can't decide if you're talking to me, or your wings," Seifer teased as he stepped forward and reached around Squall to settle Sheer Trigger in place for him. 

Squall's breath caught, the easy familiarity almost...erotic, in a way. Unexpected, certainly. 

Seifer brushed his lips against Squall's as he pulled back, mischief bright in his eyes. "How do you want me?" he asked, voice pitched low. 

Squall scowled. "Stop it." 

Seifer chuckled and stepped back, giving Squall some space. "You can't fool me, Leonhart. I know you want me." He wagged his eyebrows. 

Virgie let out a giggle. 

Squall rubbed at his scar with one hand while he motioned for Seifer to turn around with the other. "Turn around. Better to have both of us looking for Garden." 

Seifer turned around and tightened his arms comfortably over Squall's when he wrapped his knight in a backwards hug. "Mm. You know what I'm thinking now?" 

"That you'd like me to drop you once we're in the air?" Squall asked and Seifer laughed. He glanced over at Virgie. "Ready?" 

_"Yeah!"_

They rose up in the air, climbing until Squall felt they'd have a good view without having to worry about clouds in the way, then he turned them north-east, aiming for Fisherman's Horizon, where there should at least be a scout ship with some idea of where Balamb had ended up. 

They found the Gardens first: Trabia and Balamb were escorting Galbadia north. Alexander was nowhere in sight, but Squall expected they'd run ahead to FH as soon as they were no longer needed in Centra. 

"This bodes well," Seifer called over the wind, even as he helpfully motioned to Virgie that they'd found what they were looking for. 

No one met them on the first floor balcony, but Squall hadn't really expected anyone to; the lookouts on the Garden bridges were told to keep an eye on the ocean, not the sky. 

_"I am going to fly **everywhere** from now on!"_ Virgie declared, hovering over the floor of the balcony and looking delighted. 

Seifer snorted and pointed towards the emergency door. "I'm pretty sure most doors won't accommodate you." 

Virgie's expression fell and she lightly dropped to the floor, her wings vanishing behind her. 

"I didn't mean you had to vanish them entirely!" Seifer insisted. 

Squall sighed and reached over to tap the underside of her chin so she'd look up. "Do you remember what I always said?" he asked, tapping his boot against the floor. 

Virgie glanced down, then back up, understanding in her eyes. _"As long as we're on the ground, you can always find us, no matter what,"_ she recited; it was what he'd told all the kids on Alexander the first time one of them got lost. Given, he'd had a relatively small range back then, but it had helped soothe a lot of fears, and they were more willing to stay in one place if they knew he could find them. 

Squall smiled at her. "Exactly. So, let's aim for a bit more walking and less flying. For my peace of mind?" 

_"Okay."_

"Thank you." He gave a gentle tug on one of her braids and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Let's go see who we can find." 

"Elle and Trepe should be in the library," Seifer recited, "Cid will be up in his office, Tilmitt and Kinneas might be over in Trabia, and Chicken-wuss is probably either in the cafeteria, or pining after that girl in the library." 

Squall thought about that for a moment, given how much of a stir his wings were sure to cause, before sighing and announcing, "We'll try the offices first." 

Seifer nodded, understanding warm at the back of Squall's mind, and led the way into Garden. 

The first floor wasn't particularly busy, but there were still cadets and a couple SeeDs wandering around. Eyes widened every time they noticed Squall's wings, but they were always quick to perform the salute when he glanced at them. He couldn't tell if any of them understood the significance, but the military-like acceptance was reassuring and he found himself relaxing slightly. 

His wings gave him some trouble in the lift, especially since Seifer seemed more interested in watching with a grin than helping, but Squall managed. "Ass," he muttered to his knight as Seifer swiped his SeeD ID and hit the button for the second floor. 

_"Why are you so mean?"_ Virgie demanded, giving Seifer a disapproving stare. 

"Some of us have an image to maintain," Seifer insisted. 

"Some of us are sleeping in their own room tonight," Squall shot back as the lift opened. He offered Seifer's hurt expression a mean little smile before ushering Virgie out ahead of him. His wings left the lift far easier than they'd gone in, stretching out behind him happily before resting against his back in their usual relaxed position. 

Seifer settled on his left as Squall turned towards Cid's office and said, "We can probably bribe the FH technicians into carving out a hole in the floor, so you can just fly between the levels." 

"Security risk," Squall replied, shaking his head. "There's a reason the second floor doesn't have an open floor plan." 

"Card reader with a metal grating that'll move out of the way?" Seifer suggested. 

Squall paused, considering that. "Maybe." He shook his head. "It's not important right now, however." He knocked on Cid's office door and pushed it open, since the headmaster had never minded if he just poked his head in. 

The room was empty, the desk disturbingly neat. 

"Okay. I'm a little worried, now," Seifer admitted as Squall pulled the door closed. 

"Makes two of us," Squall murmured as he turned, wings pressing tight against his back so they didn't hit Virgie, and stalked towards the conference room. 

"Ex _cuse_ y–" Quistis snapped before she recognised him. Her eyes went wide behind her glasses and she called, "Squall!" 

Squall slipped into the room, making room for Seifer and Virgie to follow him. "Quisty," he greeted, glancing around the table and taking note of the neat stacks of paper around her, as well as what looked like another stack of paperwork across the table from her. "We're back." 

Quistis drooped in her chair and tugged off her glasses before rubbing at her eyes. "Thank Hyne." 

"Hello, Seifer," Elle called from behind the knight, and Squall looked past his wings to see her stepping into the room, smiling widely. 

_"Sis Elle!"_ Virgie shouted as she darted around Seifer and ran into Elle, wrapping her arms around her. 

Elle's eyes went wide and she stared down at Virgie for a long moment before she turned to Squall. "Squally?" 

"It's Gee," he promised. 

Elle let out a sob and wrapped her arms around Virgie. 

Seifer slipped past Squall and walked over to Quistis, who was watching the proceedings with wide, confused eyes. "Hm, this looks like Squally's paperwork," Seifer commented before glancing towards what appeared to be Elle's workstation. "Where's Cid?" 

"Sis," Squall murmured, gently touching her shoulder. 

Elle straightened and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe at her face and blow her nose. "I'm sorry," she whispered before crouching down in front of Virgie and wiping at her face, smiling when the girl made a face. "Goodness. We thought..." She bit her lip, looking troubled. 

_"Squally told me,"_ Virgie admitted quietly. 

"Ultimecia pulled her out of time," Squall explained. "She's a GF." 

"Well," Elle said, tugging on one of Virgie's braids and earning her a tongue being stuck out, "I'm glad. Hyne knows we could use someone sensible around here." She glanced up and pointed out, "Squall, your wings are out." 

"Irritatingly enough," Squall agreed drily before looking up as Seifer stalked back over, irritation prickling at the back of his mind. "Where's Uncle Cid?" 

"His rooms." 

Squall raised an eyebrow, then glanced down at Elle, hoping for a better explanation. 

Elle's expression fell and she stood, one hand thoughtlessly petting Virgie's head. "Matron wasn't doing well. I don't know the specifics," she added to whatever expressions Squall and Seifer made, "but Cid declared himself on holiday and hid her away in his room. We make sure they're getting food, but neither of them will come out." 

"Maybe they're–" Seifer startled before letting out a pained grunt when Squall elbowed him in the stomach. 

"We'll go check on them," Squall promised. "With luck, it's nothing more serious than a holiday; Hyne knows they could both do with one." He glanced towards Quistis, who was still seated at the conference table, watching them with a mix of confusion and relief. "Quisty, thank you for staying on top of my work. You can leave it all on my desk, if you'd like, and I'll get to it–"

"Tomorrow," Seifer interrupted. When Squall frowned at him, he pointed out, "You should check in with Trabia and I'm sure Gee would appreciate a proper tour of Garden. Paperwork can wait a day." 

_"I get a tour?"_ Virgie asked, clearly delighted. 

Squall couldn't help but smile at her. "After we check in on Matron." 

"Do you mind if I come with?" Elle asked and Virgie's grin widened. 

Squall shrugged. "Feel free. Quisty?" Seifer groaned. 

Quisty stood. "Will I get an explanation for the wings?" she asked as she slipped her glasses away and started over. 

Squall glanced at the silver wings. "I'm a sorcerer," he offered drily. "They're a physical representation of my magic." 

"He's grumpy because they won't let him hide them any more," Seifer explained as they moved out of the room. His eyes caught on the lift and his smile turned mean. "And now back to the lift." 

Squall scowled and turned towards the emergency stairs. "I'll meet you down there," he called over his shoulder. 

"The stairs won't be any better, Leonhart!" 

Squall ignored his knight, instead pushing through the door. The stairs were less cramped than the lift, but there wasn't enough room to fly, and going down stairs was no great joy, as tall as his wings were. "I hate you so much," he told his wings as he ran his ID on the first floor and pulled the door open. 

Most of the floor had cleared out, likely gone to spread rumours about the fact that Squall and Seifer were back and that Squall had wings. He sighed, torn between irritation and a sort of resigned amusement at the very much expected response of the Garden population. Doubtless, everyone would know about his wings by lights out; whether they'd know what they meant was another matter entirely. 

He stepped out onto the bridge leading to the lift and shot the lift a glare before jumping over the guard wall and letting his wings flare out to bring him easily to the bottom of the stairs in front of the lift as the others started down them. 

"Making a statement, Leonhart?" Seifer teased as Virgie caught Squall's right hand with a bright smile. 

"You may have a point about that grate," Squall replied drily before starting around the central hub. "I expect we're headed for FH to collect Alexander?" he asked Quistis. 

She blinked and nodded. "And see if they can do anything for the damage inside Galbadia Garden. Their bridge took some damage, as did some other systems necessary for them to function as a school," she explained. 

Squall frowned. "How much fighting did you have to deal with?" 

Quistis sighed. "More than we'd expected. The soldiers in the headmaster's office were easy to subdue–" she shot him a suspicious look and he shrugged in response "–and it wasn't hard to crack a window and set off a couple of the fireworks Captain Owens and his crew had brought, but that put the Galbadians on guard. Soldiers started coming up the lift before we were prepared for them." She looked away, ashamed. 

"Thank you," Elle said, and Squall looked back at her in surprise once he realised she was talking to him. "For the feather. It teleported Matron and I to Alexander when the soldiers came up." 

Squall stopped, blinking at her in surprise, and Seifer laughed next to him before petting warm fingers over the wing closest to him. "How the hell did you manage to fit a teleport spell into a single feather?" he asked them. 

Squall got the sense that his magic was preening, quite pleased with itself, and he sighed while Seifer laughed again. "Come on," he murmured to Virgie and she giggled as they started walking again, leaving the other three to catch up. 

On the staff and guest hall, Quistis and Elle fell back, clearly having been turned away enough times to be uncertain about disturbing the headmaster. Seifer, on the other hand, had no such compunctions, and he stalked past Squall and Virgie and practically pounded on the door. 

Cid pulled the door open, face twisted with irritation. He paused upon finding Seifer staring down at him, then squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed tiredly at them, knocking his glasses askew. "It's not a good time, Seifer." 

"Make it a good time," Seifer suggested. 

"Seifer," Squall called, disapproving, and his knight snorted before moving to one side. "Uncle Cid, you'll understand, I expect, why I can't let you shut me out without at least checking up on Matron. If you want to remain on holiday until we return to Balamb, I won't stop you, but you need to let me make sure she's okay." 

"Is that Squall?" Matron's voice asked from inside the room, faint with exhaustion. 

"Edea," Cid complained, but he moved out of the way when she appeared behind him. 

She looked painfully small, almost skeletal under the black dress that hung heavily from too-thin shoulders. Seifer drew in a sharp breath and Squall bit his tongue against his own noise of discontent. 

_"Matron?"_ Virgie asked, voice tiny. 

Tired eyes looked down towards the girl holding Squall's hand. She blinked once, then her eyes went wide. "Virgie," she breathed and caught herself against the doorframe. 

Cid reached out like he wanted to touch his wife, but yanked his hand back before he could, expression troubled. It was enough of a warning and Squall grabbed Virgie's shoulders before she could go to Matron. "Tell me what's wrong," he ordered. 

"It's nothing–" Cid started. 

"Do not _lie_ to me," Squall snapped before meeting Matron's tired stare. He gentled his voice and offered, "She was in my head for six months. Let me help." 

Matron slowly held out one hand. It iced over with magic, like she'd once done to show Squall her magic so very long ago, but the ice was shot through with lines of black and the shade of purple that Squall knew meant Demi or Maelstrom. "My magic is tainted," she admitted quietly. "There's nothing Cid or I can do to fix it." 

"Have you tried equipping a GF?" Seifer asked. 

Matron smiled, but it was cracked around the edges and she leaned more weight against the doorframe. "Yes." 

Squall's magic twisted inside himself and he closed his eyes, trying to figure out what it was up to. When it revealed its new creation, he sucked in a breath: His magic wanted him to draw the tainted magic that Ultimecia had left behind into himself. 

_'Is that wise?'_ Diablos asked, eyeing the spell suspiciously. 

_'It is technically the Sorceress's magic,'_ Shiva pointed out. _'And we have fought back this darkness before.'_

_'The Sorcerer isn't exhausted from months under the Dark One's hold,'_ Eden added. _'Not like his Matron.'_

_'Do it,'_ Bahamut ordered. _'Matron can't keep this up.'_

Squall opened his eyes and met Seifer's hard stare. His knight gave a sharp nod, then glanced down at where Squall was holding Virgie's shoulders. He nodded back, then told his GFs, "Keep it away from Gee." 

A wave of assent came from his GFs and they settled protectively around his connection to her. 

"Stay here," he ordered her before stepping forward and meeting Matron's gaze. "I can help, but you need to trust me," he warned. 

She smiled. "Of course I trust you, Squall." 

"I need to you trust that I know what I'm doing," Squall insisted. "If you fight me, this is going to backfire, and that magic will kill you." 

A horrified gasp came from down the hall, and Squall sensed Virgie turning and running back towards Elle, Quistis, and Zell, who had only just joined them. 

Matron gave a slow blink. "What are you going to do?" 

"I'm going to take the tainted magic from you," Squall admitted. When her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to argue with him, he pointed out, "I have been fighting with that magic most of my life, Matron. It's angry and it's violent and it wants nothing more than to destroy the world. _I know_." She deflated, eyes falling shut. 

"If you die with that tainted magic," Seifer pointed out firmly as he came to stand at Squall's side, "it's going to go on to whoever inherits your magic. At least Squall and I know what we're in for." 

Matron looked between them for a moment before smiling again, tired and defeated, and holding her hands out towards Squall. 

Squall tugged off his gloves and took her hands, hissing at the feeling of the violent magic prickling under her skin. He closed his eyes and reached for the familiar darkness with the spell his magic had shaped, gathering it at their point of contact and drawing it out of her. 

He pulled away from her once he was sure he had it all, stumbling a step before Seifer caught him, warm and safe. The prickly magic withered under their combined will, inching away from the wall of GFs when Bahamut snarled at it. It seemed almost...lost...for a moment. Lonely. But then Squall's magic beckoned and it fled towards it, integrating seamlessly and vanishing into the magic that, Squall realised, hadn't been so dark in a long time. It gleamed silver in his mind's eye, instead, the same shade as his wings. 

He wondered, as he opened his eyes to find Cid holding Matron tight, if that meant that he'd managed to heal Ultimecia's madness and, if so, what that meant in terms of his own possible madness in the future. 

"Your wings looked like my ice for a moment," Matron whispered, eyes locked on his wings. 

Squall glanced back at them, but there was no sign of the tainted magic in them any more. "I'm stubborn," he remarked drily, "and Seifer is incapable of accepting 'no' as an answer." 

"Not true," Seifer insisted. "No is absolutely an acceptable answer. So long as I'm the one giving it." 

Squall rolled his eyes and shoved at his knight. "Let me go." 

"Mmm... No." 

Squall rubbed at his scar, resigned. 

Matron let out a tired laugh. "It's so good to see you two together at last," she admitted before coughing. 

"Edea?" Cid pleaded, clearly worried. 

"Maelstrom," Squall recalled before pulling away from Seifer and quickly casting an Esuna, followed by three para-magic Curagas chained together by a half-conscious Triple. 

The effect was immediate, the sickly pallor clearing from Matron's pale skin. It didn't change how thin she was, but there was a new life to her that suggested she'd be just fine, and she stopped leaning on Cid quite so much. "Oh," she whispered. 

"Sorry," Squall offered. "I should have thought of that sooner." He shook his head. 

Matron pulled away from Cid and took three quick steps forward so she could wrap Squall in a hug. "Thank you, Squall," she whispered as he hugged her back, his heart soothed by the strength of her hold on him. When she pulled back, her eyes fell to the empty chain hanging against his chest. "Your necklace..." she whispered, clearly horrified. 

"It turned into Gee," Squall soothed before looking over at their audience. 

Virgie was clinging to Elle, but she took the glance as permission to hurry forward. _"Matron, are you...okay?"_ she asked, scared and hopeful. 

"I will be," Matron promised, holding out her arms for a hug, which Virgie wasted no time in rushing into, hard enough that Squall had to brace Matron to keep her from falling over. "It is so very wonderful to see you again, sweetheart," she whispered against the top of Virgie's head before pressing a kiss there. 

"Squall?" Zell called after a moment. 

"Go away, Chicken–" Seifer started. 

"Seifer!" Matron snapped, cutting him off, and Seifer sort of froze, shock flickering at the back of Squall's mind. 

"What is it, Zell?" Squall asked, somehow managing to keep his amusement from his voice. 

"Why do you have wings, man?" 

Squall sighed while Elle and Virgie both started giggling. He suspected he'd be answering that question a lot. 

-0-

Squall's favourite reaction to his wings had to be when they met up with Odine to kill Adel. They'd bypassed the city, Laguna having sent directions to what he called the Sorceress Memorial, which was – Laguna had to admit after Squall had dryly explained that, yes, the wings were permanent at this point – probably the best course for everyone. (Not, as Kiros pointed out, that people couldn't have seen Squall and Seifer flying over the city and panicked over it. Seifer had only laughed a little.) 

Odine met them inside, and his eyes caught on Squall's wings first, going wide and glinting with greed. Then he took in Squall's face and his eyes seemed almost to double in size. " _Sorcerer_ ," he breathed, reaching out towards Squall. 

Seifer stepped in the way, fury and disgust mingling at the back of Squall's mind. "Back the fuck up, Odine," he snarled, hand hovering over Hyperion's hilt. 

Odine back-pedalled fast enough that his feet got caught up in his robes and he crashed to the ground in a heap. "Knight!" he shrieked. "Understood! You are the Knight and angry!" 

"Seifer," Squall called, amused. Behind him, Laguna was practically in tears, he was laughing so hard. "We do need him to deal with Adel." 

Seifer remained staring down at Odine for a long moment before he snorted and relaxed, tossing a smirk over his shoulder at Squall. "But after?" he requested. 

Squall patted Seifer's shoulder and stepped past his knight towards the only door ahead of them. "Only if he tries something." 

"What's your definition of 'something'?" 

Squall rolled his eyes and pushed open the door to the next room. It was massive, glowing technology lining the walls and ceiling, with cables running between the walls and the large device in the centre of the room, which held a red-haired person. Adel, Squall knew from his history classes. 

A group of women in Estharian robes stood in a corner, near two technicians. If the robes hadn't given them away, the way they all tensed upon seeing Squall's wings would have done it. The technicians traded terrified looks, while one of the woman whispered, "Great Hyne..." 

Squall sighed. "President Loire, if you could calm yourself for ten minutes so we can deal with Adel?" he called over his shoulder as he stepped fully in the room. His wings flared out behind him once he'd cleared the door, as though they were trying to appear threatening, his magic's attention focussed on Adel. "Stop that," he ordered it. "You're making a fool of yourself. She's unconscious." 

His wings curled against his back, seeming almost to snarl around Squall at the frozen sorceress. 

Seifer stopped next to him, then, while Laguna attempted to calm the women and Odine gathered the two technicians. "What's wrong?" his knight asked. 

Squall shook his head. "It's like my magic thinks Adel is–" He looked up towards Adel and snapped his mouth shut upon realising her eyes, which had been closed before, were open now. She was staring at Laguna, who was standing no more than two metres in front of the machine, back turned towards it. She had moved one hand while no one was looking and it was pointed at Squall's father. The bumbling, hopelessly kind man who Squall had got to know and begun to be fond of on the way down to Centra. 

Squall jumped over Seifer before he could consider the consequences, shouting, "Dad!" as his wings carried him over everyone, flaring out to either side as he landed to protect Laguna and the sorceresses-to-be from the Ultima that Adel loosed. 

He grunted as the spell hit, his magic absorbing the spell, but not the force behind it. Behind him, Adel roared her fury. 

"You're out of time, Odine!" Seifer shouted as he ran down the pathway towards Adel, the women, Laguna, and Squall all moving out of his way. 

Squall and Seifer locked eyes as the knight passed, anger and concern flaring at the back of Squall's mind. 

But then Seifer was past him, Hyperion singing with a mix of para-magic and some of Squall's magic, which had gladly leant itself to vengeance, as he cut into Adel. 

Squall felt his magic tear into Adel in a way that only it could manage, and he grimaced even as he grabbed Laguna and flew him over the group of women, having no interest in testing his theory about Adel's magic being more likely to go to a woman than himself. And if he was getting himself out of the way, he might as well take Laguna with him. 

They turned back to watch as Seifer jumped back, out of the way, before an explosion that looked very like Apocalypse destroyed Adel from the inside. A cloud of dark grey magic rose out of her and hung in the air for a moment before a beam of light from one of the flickering machines in the ceiling hit it and it split into five separate clouds. Each one went into a different woman and they all collapsed as they struggled to adapt to the magic. 

"I'll get their companions," Kiros murmured before leaving the room. 

"You called me _Dad_ ," Laguna breathed, and when Squall turned to look at him, he found there were tears in his father's eyes. 

Squall sighed. "Apparently," he agreed, forcing his tone to remain bland. 

"I'm out of things to kill and pissed the fuck off," Seifer snarled behind him, and Squall looked back to find his knight glowering at Odine and the two technicians who were eyeing the unconscious women. "If you value your lives, you'll get out of my sight." 

Unsurprisingly, they fled. 

Seifer turned to Squall then, stalking forward and practically _breathing_ fury. "Leonhart," he growled, and Laguna shifted nervously next to Squall. 

Squall raised an eyebrow at him, refusing to be cowed by his angry knight. "What would you have had me do instead? It was _only_ an Ultima, Seifer." 

In his mind, his GFs let out laughter that was varying degrees of hysterical. 

Seifer stopped and stared at him for a moment before rubbing angrily at his eyes. " 'Only an–' What if it _hadn't_ been an Ultima, Squall?" he asked, voice less angry and more shaken. 

Squall sighed and stepped forward, gently taking his knight's wrists and pulling them away from his face. "But it was," he promised. "She had one good shot; I knew she'd go for the strongest spell in her repertoire, and I knew I'd be fine." 

"You did not," Seifer muttered, freeing his wrists so he could pull Squall against his chest. "You didn't have time to figure any of that out." 

Squall sighed and wrapped his arms around Seifer's neck, scratching his fingers against the grain of his knight's short-cut hair as his wings wrapped around them. "No," he admitted, "but it sounds less like I was feeling suicidal if I say that." 

Seifer snorted and leaned down to brush his lips against Squall's. "I'd tell you never to pull that shit on me again, but–"

"I have to save who I can," Squall whispered. 

"I know," Seifer breathed before kissing him hard, warm and safe and full of love. 

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -0-0-0-  
> OWARI  
> -0-0-0-


End file.
